The dead female tiger shark on Plum Bay Beach with its stomach partially out of its mouth. Sharks have been known to ‘vomit’ in this way when highly stressed.
TERRES BASSES--A female tiger shark that was tagged and being monitored by St. Maarten Nature Foundation was found dead on Plum Bay Beach on Sunday.
Another view.
The Nature Foundation tagged the animal in May 2018 as part of its shark research project, and gave her the name “Sea Trek”.
Sea Trek was 2.26 metres (m) in length in May 2018. She came in at 2.57m when measured by Nature Foundation on Sunday, signalling growth of 31 centimetres (cm) in two years and seven months.
Sea Trek had no visible injuries or signs that she had been the victim of fishing. This indicates that she probably had a natural cause of death. However, her carcass was found with its stomach coming out of its mouth. Sharks have been known to “vomit” in this way when highly stressed.
According to Nature Foundation manager Melanie Meijer zu Schlochtern, the shark could have died in a high stress scenario at sea and then washed up on shore. Alternatively, Sea Trek could have beached herself, perhaps while hunting prey, and was unable to make it back to the water before suffocating.
Nature Foundation began its shark research project in 2016, which aims to record the prevalence of sharks in St. Maarten waters, as well as their movement and growth patterns. Little is currently known about the sharks that make use of the island’s marine ecosystems. More than 70 sharks have been tagged since the start of the project.
“This research is being used to increase protection for sharks locally and internationally, as they are key to the health of our marine ecosystem. Sharks are apex predators and, as such, keep the ocean food chain healthy, a food chain which in turn supports regional fisheries,” said Nature Foundation in a press release on Monday.
The foundation also expressed its disapproval of a photo that depicted Collectivité workers posing as “trophy hunters” and holding the dead shark in a “disrespectful position”. The picture has been circulating on social media.
“Tiger sharks are a threatened species and are protected in St. Maarten (Dutch side). This picture absolutely shows disrespect to a threatened species and could be interpreted as approval of shark-hunting activities by the Collectivité.
“We hereby ask the Collectivité to respect all dead animals and show their support in protecting this important species for our marine ecosystem and tourist industry,” said the Nature Foundation.
