Bull sharks killed at Playa del Carmen

by adamhanlon Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010

Article Summary:

Last week, a local fisherman from Puerto Morelos, Mexico killed nine bull sharks, part of a group that had entertained divers on the reefs around Playa del Carmen. Seven were pregnant females and a total of 50 pups were pulled from their bellies. Shark fishing is not illegal in Mexico, however dive shops in the area have established a tourism market around the bull shark season and the local diving community has encouraged fishermen to leave the sharks alone. (via DivePhotoGuide).

Having spent 5 months every year for the past 7 years diving in the fast growing resort of 'Playa del carmen, Mexico' i am shocked and saddened of the news that many of the Bullsharks that visit this coastline from November through to March are now being killed. One true report states that 9 were killed in one day and other reports suggest that 25 were killed in 3 days. From past experiences i would conclude that this could be a large percentage of the Bullsharks that frequent this area as i was consistantly seeing the same Sharks over and over again during my many dives and never counted more than 20 different Sharks, i am not suggesting that i saw all the Sharks there but certainly many of them. During my many dives in Playa (some as a guide, most for fun) i have encountered these beautiful Sharks many times and have witnessed many changes in their habitat and behaviour. During the first 4 years i would regularly see the Bullsharks in various dive sites spreading along approximately 3 miles of coastline. These encounters could not be guaranteed and unless diving very regularly or unless you were fortunate as a diving tourist you would probably not see them. These encounters would consist of mainly solitary sightings, occasionally the Sharks were in pairs and on rare occasions you might see groups of 5 or 6 of them. Most occasions the Sharks would just appear for no more than a minute and dissapear again. I can only recall 3 occasions when 4 Sharks circled for more than 30 minutes, and never coming closer than 4 or 5 metres away. Approximately 3 years ago one dive store in town began feeding an area very close to a busy beach (approximately 400m from the beach) and soon began leading dives to this fed area. All the other dive stores openly spoke out against this feeding programme but hypocritically began to advertise Bullshark dives, leading dives to this same fed area daily informing clients that the Sharks gathered there to give birth. This i know to be incorrect, the solitary reason that they gathered there was for the food that was being fed. Once this feeding programme was well and truely underway, Bullsharks were almost never seen in any of the dive sites they were previously seen as they were all herded together in the fed area. I did not go on any Shark fed dives but i did go on many dives to the same area that the Sharks were fed and the changes in their behaviour was astonishing. As soon as you rolled off the boat and put your masked face into the water they would often come up to the surface to greet you. Once down on the bottom they would regularly come in groups of 10 to 15 Sharks and circle you for the whole of the 30 minute dive, coming as close as 1 metre away. If a boat passed overhead they went into a frenzy obviously expecting food being brought to them. There are no laws in Mexico to protect Sharks and i am aware that local fisherman have always killed a few Sharks every year that they visit, but now that the sharks are all herded together with no protection they have become very easy targets for these fisherman. 9 Sharks killed by one angler in one day, or 25 killed in 3 days suggests that this area has now become a deathtrap for these Sharks. Personally i have very mixed beliefs on Shark fed dives, depending on how it is carried out, what it achieves etc etc. I certainly am aware that there are many valid arguments for it and many valid arguments against it. My primary beliefs with Shark fed dives are that there has to be two main objectives before the elements of fun or finance are considered; 1. The safety of all persons involved. 2. The welfare of the animals involved. I can only conclude from this feeding programme that the second objective here has not been achieved with a devastating effect on these wonderful and important creatures, and unless the protection of these Sharks is introduced very soon to this area then surely the feeding programme needs to stop so that the Sharks can again spread out, return to their natural habitat of doing what Bullsharks do, hunt solitary or in small groups for a better chance of their survival in this area.
Posted by spen80m on 2010-12-14 16:36:00 Back in the forms, I posted a response to someone asking about diving with the bull sharks in Playa. I am strongly against the feeding of the sharks for tourism in this area for exactly the reason that has allowed this to happen...BEFORE an area was developed for this purpose, protection should have been provided for the sharks. Instead, shops in Playa simply made a bountiful fishing pond for the locals.
Posted by NCmermaid on 2010-12-03 09:18:35 These types of articles always amaze me. You wonder at what point fishermen are going to realise that they have a lot more to gain by leaving the sharks alive. You kill the shark once you get paid once. You leave it be and you get paid over and over and over again. Do the math.
Posted by graffa on 2010-11-23 19:24:29