Habitat Destruction
Coastal areas worldwide are being degraded
at an increasingly alarming rate as more than half of the world's
population lives within about 100 km of
the ocean. This obviously affects the species that
rely on these areas for their survival. Many sharks
utilize inshore lagoons or mangroves in tropical
areas as nursery grounds. Pregnant females come
to these sites to give birth and juvenile sharks
find protection in these sheltered areas. As coastal
development increases, more of these areas are being
degraded and destroyed. The best location for most luxurious
tropical resorts and hotels are in these very areas
vital to successful shark reproduction and survival. Invariably,
because money usually wins, the hotel is built and the
shark nursery grounds are destroyed.
For example, in Bimini Bay, Bahamas, construction
has begun on the first phase of a mega-resort, including
condominiums, a casino, and golf course. If allowed to
proceed, the complex will destroy the mangroves of the
North Sound and East Bimini, together with all of the
animals and plants that live there. The location where
construction is planned is a very important nursery ground
for lemon sharks, the location for many years of scientific
research into shark behaviour which has contributed hugely
to what we know about sharks.
To read about the Bimini bay resort's destruction of Bimini visit: Restrict Bimini Bay Resort