By PAVEL BAILEY
Tribune Staff Reporter
pbailey@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMAS Humane Society president Kim Aranha called on the public to stop chumming in public swimming areas in response to recent fatal shark attacks.
Last week, 44-year-old newlywed Lauren Erickson Van Wart of Massachusetts was killed while paddle boarding at the Sandals Resort when a shark bit her.
In an interview with an American news station, Beth Stack-Emerson, Mrs Van Wart’s next-door neighbour in Lowell, Massachusetts, expressed shock at the woman’s death.
“I mean, these poor people, they probably looked forward to this vacation for months,” she said. “Trip of a lifetime. It’s heartbreaking. It really is. Oh, my God, terrible. I can’t even imagine, don’t want to imagine.”
Rob Waldron, CEO of Curriculum Associates in Billerica, where the victim worked, released a statement saying his team is heartbroken.
“Lauren was a beloved member of our math editorial team, and she infused her deep dedication to students and educators into every material she touched,” he said. “Her commitment to excellence and outstanding work was driven by a higher purpose, focused on improving learning outcomes for all. Our Curriculum Associates community is mourning this tragedy and extends our deepest love and support to Lauren’s wonderful husband and all of her family.”
The woman’s death reignited debate about how to handle sharks.
Ms Aranha called for restraint, saying calls for a mass culling of sharks would do nothing to fix the issue.
“I think we have a bunch of people with a ridiculous knee-jerk reaction wanting to go out and cull every shark they can find when they don’t even know if it was a bull shark or a tiger shark or how big it was,” she said.
“They don’t know anything about it and yet now we’ve got all these people who in their ignorance, and I’m sorry to say ignorance, but it’s true, think that by going out and killing a bunch of sharks they’re going to stop shark attacks.”
She suggested that chumming in public swimming areas, such as those near Rose Island, is linked to recent shark attacks.
She specifically noted the case of a man found dead near Saunders beach with shark bites in August.
While she acknowledged that there was no proven connection between chumming and the death of Mrs Van Wart, she said the government should intervene and enforce restrictions on where people can chum.
“I think that we’ve got to stop chumming everywhere,” she said. “This isn’t in response to the tragedy. This is the fact that we need to stop chumming in areas where there are a lot of swimmers, whether they are tourists or locals. It’s totally irresponsible.
“There are people that go out there with wood chippers, and they put fish in it so they have a wide range to scatter chum because they want to bring sharks in. They want to bring ‘em in because they want to tag them, or they want to bring them in because they want to photograph them or whatever the reasons are.”
“If you are going to put out chum for sharks, you need to do it a certain distance from any island. I would suggest ten miles off shore, frankly.”
Ms Aranha also advised against using squid to attract turtles as it also attracts sharks.
Comments
bahamianson 4 months, 4 weeks ago
Man, that is a no Brainerd. 1 +1=2. Shark is attracted by blood and fish parts. If human puts blood and fish parts in the water. Shark will come. It will come around the same time everyday or it will come responding to triggers. Triggers may include blood, fish splashing, the noise of an engine.. etc. If you have dive operations feeding the shark, the shark will associate the food with human. If human does not have food, the shark will bump the human waiting for food to drop. Dive operations and chumming should be banned. If shark kills human, shark should be put down like a pitbull is put down. Can't make it any simpler.
IslandWarrior 4 months, 4 weeks ago
There is a significant and somewhat sensitive issue in The Bahamas that some may want to overlook. The issue is the conservation initiative called 'The Bahamas being a Shark Sanctuary', which helps fuel a multi-billion dollar global 'shark dive' industry. The industry is not monitored and regulated by the elements of The Bahamas Government, whose only involvement is to issue low-cost permits to operate a dive operation in the Bahamas. These permits are used for research ventures and sometimes for commercial fishing operations as well. But the control of this 'Shark Sanctuary' designation is external, and of course, these elements would care less if the Bahamas shark population has gotten to the point of being out of control, hence the 'Shark Sanctuary' designation.
https://sharkallies.org/shark-ecotour...">https://sharkallies.org/shark-ecotour...
https://oceanographicmagazine.com/fea...">https://oceanographicmagazine.com/fea... https://indopacificimages.com/bahamas...">https://indopacificimages.com/bahamas... https://www.epicdiving.com/bahamas-sh...">https://www.epicdiving.com/bahamas-sh... https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/about/ne...">https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/about/ne...
themessenger 4 months, 4 weeks ago
Who's having the brainfart here? How do you propose to identify the shark that did the killing, tooth prints perhaps? Or will you just go out there and kill every shark you come across and hope you got the right one? If stupidity is a good enough reason, I can think of any number of humans who should be put down, at the very least they shouldn't be allowed to breed.
ThisIsOurs 4 months, 4 weeks ago
If we had the resources to do so, the teeth could be used to track a shark. The teeth mark's would be the first clue to the shark size then monitor that area for shark activity of given size. Determine if there is a pattern to visits. Determine if the same shark is visiting the area. Catch the shark. (This is the step with the lowest probability of success). Map the teeth compare the bite mark(?) Place a tracker on the shark. Again I dont believe we have the resources to do this, alot of wait and see time, just saying there might be a way to narrow down to a specific shark9
jt 4 months, 4 weeks ago
Shark teeth change daily, they are produced on a system like conveyor belts.
I hear what you’re saying but it is a pretty far reach to track individual shark dentition in a country incapable of even keeping the power on.
IslandWarrior 4 months, 4 weeks ago
You would expect that a scientific and unbiased approach would be taken if such an exercise was needed in the Bahamas. I am certain that the Bahamian Government would consult with 'experts in the field'. However, the concerns of Bahamians in their own country are often dismissed as "stupidity".
John 4 months, 4 weeks ago
THIS ARTICLE IS WRITTEN VERY DECEPTIVELY! It more than insinuates that it is Bahamians who are feeding/chumming: baiting sharks. But isn’t it mostly the visitors who go on dozens of excursions daile to feed and swim with sharks? BAHAMIANS knew a long time ago that sharks are nobody’s friends. If you see them in the water, you get out. And you warn others not to go in the water. A shark may lurk for days and the locals will stay out the water until the shark eventually swims off. And sometimes this may take some forceful coaching from the local fishermen to get the shark on its way. Bahamians have always clean fish on the docks or near the waters edge. This unfortunate incident happened a mile away from the shoreline. OUT ON THE oCEAN, NOT near to shore. It’s the tours that go out on the ocean to chum and bait up sharks.
hrysippus 4 months, 3 weeks ago
John; your post is just silly. There are Bahamian entities chumming the water to enhance their businesses that rely on tourists. Although I have read of reports of scientists chumming to attract sharks in order to ag them, this is most probably a very minor factor.
John 4 months, 3 weeks ago
Actually yours is silly! So who owns the tour operations that take tourists on these tours? Silly foreigners whose only goal is to make a buck, no worries about the effects of their actions. And when sharks became too plentiful in certain areas fishermen would dispose of some to avoid the sharks destroying everything else in the sea. AND to AVOID the frequent attack on humans as is happening now! Stop being silly, silly!Since they have few, real, natural predators. But who are the silly people who put sharks on the protected species list and made shark control illegal . SIlly you! silly me? Silly, SILLY!
joeblow 4 months, 4 weeks ago
... can the BHS explain why there are no shark attacks at Montague beach with the fishermen just up the road? Or do sharks prefer white meat?
John 4 months, 3 weeks ago
You are so racist, lol. But no it’s not what type meat the shark likes, well then again basically all the sharks attacks along Florida beaches have been white folks. But white folks are more daring than most folk. A black tourist will go in the water up to his ankles and snap pics . Then send them to everyone on his wats App, Instagram and Facebook caption ‘ me swimming in the OCEAN in The Bahamas’
trueBahamian 4 months, 3 weeks ago
Black people don't swim?! I don't recall ever seeing black people in knee deep water doing selfies. I guess any other group wouldn't do selfish at a beach.
John 4 months, 3 weeks ago
Well you trying to turn this post into a racial one. Boy no Black people don’t do selfies on the beach in knee deep water. They go in the ocean with thousands of dollars of video and diving equipment and do selfies swimming with sharks.!! And if you look closely, you can still see them from the beach because of their fat skin.
ThisIsOurs 4 months, 3 weeks ago
There was actually a video of a shark swimming around Montagu. I dont remember if the shark survived the encounter. I wouldnt be surprised if they come in at night
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