Orient Beach, St. Martin
MARIGOT—The Collectivité and Préfecture have decided jointly to lift the ban on swimming and water sports on all French-side beaches from today, Saturday, December 19. This is contrary to the previous announcement that the ban would remain in place until December 22.
Following the fatal accident involving a shark on December 10 in Orient Bay precautionary measures were quickly implemented. They included prohibiting baited fishing and fish feeding, controlling restaurants to prohibit discharge of waste water and organic matter into the sea, and removal of buoys and platforms in the water.
Several actions will be put in place from today in order to ensure a level of reinforced security. They will include reconnaissance flight by drone over the territory’s shorelines from 11:00am to 12:00pm and from 2:00pm to 3:00pm for a period of 15 days.
The Gendarmerie’s nautical brigade will also carry out surveillance along with rangers from Réserve Naturelle. Recommendations of caution will also be disseminated to beach-goers.
The territorial waters of the French West Indies will also be the subject of attention from French scientists thanks to the implementation of a programme in collaboration with all organisations concerned with the environment in the Caribbean.
This will lead to improved knowledge of shark behavior in local waters thanks to the studies carried out which will be used to fill a database.
The action of this scientific group will be rapidly implemented by creation of a network of observers, professional fishermen, and professionals from marine trades and marine activities to transmit observations to Réserve Naturelle and the scientific panel. In addition protocols will be implemented concerning shark fishing, shark identification, sampling and tagging, piloted by the scientific group.
In order to guarantee an improved level of security, the Préfecture and the Collectivité remind the public that vigilance is always recommended. It is not advisable to swim in the ocean very early in the morning or late at night, and after heavy rains when clarity in the water can become cloudy and stirred up.
