The Caribbean Reef Shark Was Recently Classified As Endangered
The Caribbean reef shark has a sleek form that allows it to glide through the water easily. It has a unique color, ranging from dark gray to grayish brown, that fades into a white/yellow hue underneath its belly.
Interestingly enough, these sharks can be found lying motionless on the bottom of the ocean floor, which is a behavior that sets them apart from other species.
Caribbean reef sharks frequent the reefs in areas such as Florida, Bermuda, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic coast of South America.
They like to stay in one place, making them easy targets for fishers, who like to sell them for meat, leather, and oil.
When it comes to their interactions with humans, Caribbean reef sharks are generally pretty tame. Shark attacks are infrequent and happen mainly when a shark feels cornered.
These sharks also pose a danger if you consume their flesh. They can accumulate toxic levels of mercury and other heavy metals in their flesh, which are harmful to humans if eaten.
As of 2021, the Caribbean reef shark has been classified as endangered. They are currently prohibited from harvest in the United States.
Over the past few decades, a controversial practice of feeding the sharks has emerged. Because the sharks tend to swim around the same areas, dive operators can depend on their presence.
As a result, the dive ecotourism industry in the Caribbean is booming. Professional shark handlers take divers down to the sea floor with a container of fish, and after waiting for a bit, a group of sharks will appear. The shark handler will then feed them the fish using a long pole.
frantisek hojdysz – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
Shark feedings are banned on the coast of Florida, but there are no regulations on such practices in the waters of the Bahamas or the Caribbean.
Usually, feeding wildlife isn’t considered to be a very good idea because it can alter the behavior of animals.
However, research indicates that as long as the feeding of Caribbean sharks is done responsibly, it shouldn’t be a problem.
In the Bahamas, shark populations have stabilized due to a ban on commercial fishing back in the 1990s and ecotourism.
The shark dives have also given locals more job opportunities and helped boost the economy. The Bahamas generates $110 million every year from shark-diving tourism. Everyone wins!
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