Shark Encounter in the Bahamas

I spent my Christmas holidays in the Bahamas this year and had a great time with friends and family. Whilst there I got the chance to go out fishing with my brother-in-law, a master fisherman. As we  pulled in our first fish, a tuna,  we caught sight of a shark fin chasing it over top water!

After that experience we switched gears and started fishing for snapper instead. This time the shark beat us to it and got the fish, hooking it’s pectoral fin in the process! After a lot of pulling we managed to get it to the surface and extract the hook (and by “we” I mean my brother-in-law). It was amazing to see a shark that close and a little scary when he lashed out as the hook was removed, but all ended well and I got some great footage of the shark. I’m not sure which species it was the but it looks like a Carcharhinus species.

We also managed to catch a few snapper in the end, which made a delicious fried fish dinner!

It was a reminder of how vulnerable sharks are to fishing gear. I’m proud to say that the Bahamas has banned all commercial shark fishing, making it a valuable shark sanctuary. There is a lot of great shark research going on in the Bahamas. If you want to know more check out the Bimini Biological Field Station and the Cape Eleuthera Institute.