Tour operators in Johnny Cay deliberately throw food into the sea to attract sharks: Coralina

Just hours after the Corporation for the Sustainable Development of the Archipelago of San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina (Coralina) reported the sighting of a tiger shark in the area of La Piscinita or Box Hole, where Italian tourist Antonio Roseto Degli Abruzzi died on March 18, the same entity reported that in another area of the territory are attracting sharks with food “for fun”.

The director of Coralina, Arne Britton González, said that the situation is taking place in Johnny Cay Regional Park, a protected fauna and flora reserve since 2000 that is very popular with tourists due to its natural beauty and gastronomic offer.

In addition, he pointed out that local tour operators are responsible for this irresponsible practice; specifically, the boatmen who provide the shuttle service from the port of North End to Johnny Cay.

The entity added a video to its complaint: it shows how a group of gray reef sharks, who live in the coral areas around Johnny Cay, approach the pier of the key attracted by the remains of food thrown into the water.

Mr. Britton warned that this practice puts at risk the safety and tranquility of tourists visiting the natural park. In addition, he reiterated that this activity runs counter to all the awareness campaigns that Coralina has carried out to properly dispose of waste in a protected area.

From Coralina they say that in the last 24 hours they have received several videos like the previous one, which show how the phenomenon has intensified. So, they are working on a regulation that prohibits the malpractice of baiting marine animals.

Faced with the critical situation, Britton also launched an ultimatum. If the environmental entity receives one more complaint about food thrown by the regional park's tourism service providers, the public will be restricted from entering Johnny Cay, which would have a major impact on the archipelago's economy, as it is one of its main tourist attractions.

Coralina reported on Tuesday that another tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) was sighted in the vicinity of the coastal area of Pox Hole. This is the same kind of squalo that would have attacked the tourist Roseto, right in the same place where the incident occurred.

According to the marine guards, this specimen would be smaller than those seen before and would have been attracted by ill-disposed food scraps on the coast. In addition, it is not one of the sharks that had already been located and marked by Coralina, so it is a new shark.

The discovery occurred in the midst of marine control, surveillance and monitoring activities. The entity reported that it activated an “inter-agency group with other authorities and supporting entities” in order to minimize the risk of another accident.

Similarly, the corporation sent a series of recommendations to residents and visitors. Firstly, that they avoid entering the sea while there are reports of animals with dangerous potential in waters surrounding bathing areas. And, secondly, “we thank the community to avoid throwing food or fishing waste into the sea or on the shore, as this bad practice can cause more animals to be interested and generate more interaction with people.”

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