Last year, the Cape Eleuthera Institute welcomed United Nations ambassadors from ten countries to the Cape to learn more from research scientists about the latest discoveries in shark ecology and conservation. Through the efforts of the marine conservation leadership of The Bahamas, this year marks the fifth year of the nation’s designation as a shark sanctuary. 

“Our nations are not small-island states, they are big-ocean states” said Eric Carey, director of the Bahamas National Trust, which has been at the forefront of Bahamian marine and land conservation for decades. “There are considerable conservation opportunities if we are working together, within the country and at a regional scale. Efforts like these, including the existing prohibition on the commercial harvest or trade and use of any shark fins or parts within the The Bahamas, ensure that that sharks can continue to thrive for generations in our waters, one of the world’s best places to see sharks.”