Shark a boon to T&T tourism
...bane to conservationists
By Charles Kong Soo (Guardia).
Andrew Zimmern’s announcement on the Bizarre Foods Trinidad episode on the Travel Channel Network that shark and bake from Richard’s in Maracas Bay was the best and most awesome fish sandwich he had ever eaten has been a boon to the T&T tourism industry but a bane to shark conservationists. Angelo Villagomez, manager of the US-based conservation group, Pew Charitable Trusts, told the Sunday Guardian via e-mail that scientists reported in the Marine Policy 2013 journal that 100 million sharks are killed every year.
He said this represented between 6.4 per cent and 7.9 per cent of the total global population of sharks killed each year. Villagomez said the exploitation rate exceeded the rebound rate for many shark populations, which averaged 4.9 per cent each year. He said when sharks were killed faster than their natural ability to reproduce, populations decline and as a result nearly every stock assessment for large shark species that are commercially fished has shown declines.
Villagomez said sharks were not like other fish like tuna, the life histories of many targeted shark species have more in common with marine mammals. He said sharks were slow growing, late to mature, and produce few young, yet for decades they have been managed like other fish such as tuna.
Sharma: Shark and bake good for the economy
Speaking to the Sunday Guardian on Tuesday, Tourism Minister Chandresh Sharma said T&T’s unique blend of ethnic cuisine had gained an international reputation and was attractive to food tourists who came to sample the diverse culinary bandaras (food feasts), among them shark and bake. Sharma said T&T has become one of the preferred tourist destinations in the global community. He said 434,000 visitors from 167 countries generated approximately $3 billion in revenue in 2013.
Sharma said, “When you say shark and bake, it actually means the different foods of the country like doubles, roti and pelau. “When you go Maracas, there are at least 40 different food varieties selling—from pommecythere, anchar, boil corn and corn soup. “It’s like when you say you’re going for doubles in Debe, you also have baiganee, saheena, kachouri and mithai, so shark and bake is the tag line and a cultural expression of attraction.”
When asked if a middle ground be found between the Government, tourism stakeholders promoting T&T as the home of shark and bake and conservationists, he said the market had to make that determination. Sharma said the Government understood the importance of conservation and will act in a responsible manner for the mutual benefit of all parties involved.
‘Sharks being overfished’
Deep-sea biologist Dr Diva Amon said while the T&T Fisheries Act stipulated a minimum catch size for some species of fish, including kingfish, grouper and salmon, there was currently no minimum catch size or maximum landing amount for sharks. The postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Hawaii, USA, said even if this legislation did exist for sharks, it would be difficult to enforce given T&T’s limited resources.
Amon said the minimum catch size rule for many other species of fish was barely enforced in T&T and it wouldn’t be any different for sharks. She said the term “shark” refers to many different species, which mature at different ages and sizes, whereas for example, kingfish refers to only one species.
Amon said it might be difficult for fishermen to not only distinguish between shark species but to also know which minimum catch size corresponded to which species. She said unfortunately there were few sustainable fisheries worldwide but shark fisheries were highly unsustainable. She said sharks were like humans in that they take a long time to become sexually mature and have few offspring.
Amon said these factors made it impossible for most shark species to cope with the huge pressures of commercial fishing and currently humans were single handedly exterminating sharks.
