EDITOR, The Tribune.

Another fatal shark attack on a tourist has prompted calls again for culling sharks.

Some say there are more shark attacks because there are more sharks yet there are more visitors too: we’ve had eight million tourists before the end of the year, reported the news on Tuesday, 5th December.

We have a lucrative shark tourism industry. There are also more enterprising Bahamians captaining boat charters for visitors.

Rather than killing sharks maybe it would be better to regulate this burgeoning industry. This would protect not only the captain and his crew but the visitors too.

Education should be a must. We — including tourists — should know the possible dangers if we are swimming in the sea, which is the shark’s home: don’t chum the water then go swimming nearby; don’t swim near where people have been cleaning fish or feeding sharks; keep eye contact with a shark if you see one and slowly swim away without splashing; don’t panic.

Overfishing and reef damage must also be considered. The depletion of the fish could be leading them closer to the shores for food.

Let’s look at everything. We are a threat to the sharks much more than they are to us.

JOLIKA BUCKNER

Nassau,

December 5, 2023.