By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

A Bahamian marine expert is calling for stronger regulation and enforcement of marine tourism and fishing practices after a series of recent shark attacks in local waters.

Dr Ancilleno Davis, founder of Science & Perspective, a science education platform that explains ecological issues through a Bahamian lens, told The Tribune that such incidents are preventable and often stem from unsafe practices that remain unregulated.

“Most shark attacks happen because people are in the water where the sharks are, and they are often doing something that would attract sharks,” Dr Davis said.

Dr Davis, who has conducted extensive work in marine conservation, biodiversity protection and science education, explained that shark feeding frenzies can be triggered by activities such as chumming or the presence of wounded fish, making it difficult for sharks to distinguish between prey and humans.

“If you get bitten by a shark, it is not going to be that simple,” he said. “They are not just biting people randomly. There are often other factors like alcohol, inexperience, or misleading portrayals of sharks as harmless.”

He criticised what he described as widespread gaps in regulation, where tour and dive operators often chum waters near swimmers with no consequence.

“You have one dive boat going to a location to snorkel, and another boat goes there and starts throwing food in the water to get sharks excited. That does not make any sense,” Dr Davis said.

“We do not have enforcement in place, and we do not have any fines or anything to stop people from doing that. As soon as you see a dive boat doing something like that, they should have a suspended license.”

He added that while experienced fishermen often exit the water once sharks appear, others may stay due to economic pressure or lack of awareness.

“A fisherman’s basket will never get full, but a shark can,” he said. “They see the shark, and instead of letting go of the fish, they hold on and think they can make it back in time.”

Dr Davis advocated for zoning of marine activity areas, where certain zones would prohibit fishing or shark feeding to minimise human-wildlife conflict.

“There should be some snorkelling sites where no one is allowed to chum the water, no one is allowed to feed sharks at all, and you are not allowed to go fishing,” he said.

He further recommended regular public education campaigns, especially for fishers and tour operators, to build awareness of shark behaviour and safety protocols.

“These infrequent but significant events cause people to have knee-jerk reactions that do not represent what is really happening in the environment,” he said.

“We have more people in the water, more tourists, and more fishermen. As long as we are taking more food from sharks, they will look for more.”

André Musgrove, a Bahamian underwater photographer, filmmaker and private dive guide, also raised concerns in a previously submitted letter to The Tribune about the impact of repeated feeding and fishing practices on shark behaviour in Bahamian waters. 

Mr Musgrove, who has worked closely with international shark researchers, said such activities condition sharks to associate boats and swimmers with food, particularly in areas where fish scraps are routinely discarded or chumming is conducted. 

He cited data from the Global Shark Attack File indicating 24 reported shark bites in The Bahamas between 2018 and 2023, including five non-fatal bites related to spearfishing, with most occurring around Abaco.