Good sense prevailed in the end and the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) withdrew the ill-advised $10,000 bounty for the capture of the bull shark that attacked a British tourist on Friday.
However, for the few hours that the poster with the offer of the reward was circulated on social media, it had the effect of sensationalising the shark attack and perpetrating misinformation, encouraging harm to an endangered species.
That is why it is so important, in the aftermath of the incident in which 64-year-old British national Peter Smith was critically injured, to avert any future frenzies by raising awareness about sharks and their ecological value.
While fishermen and residents of coastal communities in particular need to better understand this apex predator, all citizens should be enlightened about this creature, which faces a heightened threat here where bake and shark is a popular delicacy.
It must be emphasised that the threat is much greater for the sharks than the humans who populate our two islands.
It was a wise move on the part of the authorities in Tobago to close the stretch of beaches in the vicinity of Courland Bay on the island’s north coast where the attack occurred.
But the next major action, that unfortunate announcement of a bounty on the shark by Chief Secretary Farley Augustine, seemed to have been a spur-of-the-moment decision based on a misunderstanding of the situation.
It would have been better to consult with the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) or seek the guidance of a marine biologist.
Bearing in mind that there are plenty of sharks in T&T waters, including nurse sharks, and small reef sharks, along with the black tips and white tips usually seen in deeper waters, there was the potential for unfortunate interactions between sharks and humans.
Much of the alarm over Friday’s incident was because shark attacks are rare in T&T’s waters, particularly so close to shore — just ten metres from the shore where Mr Smith was bathing.
The size of the bull shark, believed to have been between eight and 10 feet long, was also cause for alarm, made worse by the widely held but distorted view of these creatures as bloodthirsty killing machines.
However, bearing in mind that last year there were 91 shark attacks with 14 fatalities worldwide, there is no need to think that a man-eating creature is lurking in the seas around us. Instead, make this a teachable moment, an opportunity to enlighten the population about the critical role played by sharks in maintaining the balance of nature. They are a valuable part of the ocean environment and must be protected.
In addition to fostering a better understanding of sharks and their value to our marine environment, it is also important to promote awareness of what to do in the event of a shark attack.
The many panicked responses to shark sightings in the hours after the incident, appeared to have been inspired more by the film “Jaws” than an understanding of what should be done in the unlikely event of an attack.
Guidance and support from experts — and there are a few at the IMA and the University of the West Indies (UWI) — should help us avoid unfortunate missteps in the future.
