Shark Attack at Turtle Beach, Tobago

Salina Cummings | 27th April, 2024

On Friday 26th April, 2024, a 64 year old male British tourist, Mr. Peter Smith, suffered a shark attack approximately 10 meters from the shore of Tobago's Starfish Resort, Scarborough.

The THA Chief Secretary, Hon. Farley Chavez Augustine, reported that the shark in question appeared to be a Bull Shark that was 8-10 feet in length, and 2 feet wide. The injuries sustained by Mr. Smith were a sever to his left arm, ranging from the elbow and below, bitten on his abdomen, as well as a laceration to his left thigh.

Mr. Smith was administered to the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) at Scarborough General Hospital, where he was sedated and treated with various surgeries, including reattachment of his fingers.

Eyewitness, Orion Jakerov, Water Sports manager at the Resort describes the incident, relaying that Mr. Smith was "waist-deep to shoulder high" and that the targeted group was not aware of the presence of the shark.

This incident triggered a response from The Tobago House of Assembly with a reward offer issued by the Office of the Chief Secretary of $10,000 TTD to any fisherfolk that successfully captures the shark responsible for the attack.

However, various environmental agencies and advocacy groups criticized this approach to the attack. Organizations including, but not limited to, Council of Presidents of the Environment (COPE), Sustainable Ocean Alliance Caribbean (SOA), Environmental Research Institute in Charlotte (ERIC), and SpeSeas voiced concerns over the bounty placed on the Bull Shark involved.

The general consensus was that it was an "ill advised" decision which would ultimately lead to a damaged ecosystem and incite a killing spree on the shark population.

Restrictions were placed on the beaches in the area, temporarily closing them to the general public until further notice.

Furthermore, after the increasing feedback from environmental and advocacy groups, the Office of the Chief Secretary recalled the $10,000 TTD bounty on the previously mentioned shark.

These series of events caused experts in the field of Marine Biology to voice their opinions on the matter, backed by their knowledge and research.

Fisheries Biologist and Assistant Lecturer of the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine voiced on the 27th April that the Bull Shark attack was most likely unprovoked, but not intentional.

" T&T lies in the range of the bull shark which “stretches all the way from temperate waters in North America and in Europe, all the way down south as far as Brazil and Northern Argentina... I have never really heard reports of bull sharks attacking anyone in Trinidad or Tobago for that matter, but we do lie in its range."

Moreover, Marine Biologist and CEO of ERIC, Aljoscha Wothke, shared similar sentiments towards the situation. Wothke is convinced that the shark attack was accidental, and that Sharks are not blood thirsty killers, but rather very careful animals.

“There is no shark threat in Tobago. It is an accident. If they are going for hunting out sharks in Tobago, they will destroy the ecosystem. It sounds to me like someone is just on a rampage, a killing spree trying to do something, whatever they want to do. It’s not done according to best scientific knowledge...In some instances, those bull sharks are coming to Tobago during the nesting season. However, in 30 years in Tobago, I’ve never heard of an accident like this. It is very unlikely"

The Biological Society is hopeful for a speedy recovery to Mr. Peter Smith.

Currently, beaches across Tobago's coastline continue to temporarily close and cease business. The beaches that are presently closed are:

• Turtle Beach

• Grafton Beach

• Mount Irvine Beach

• Grange Bay

• Rocky Point

• Buccoo Beach

• Swallows Beach

• No Man’s Land

• Store Bay

• Pigeon Point

References

Council of Presidents of the Environment (COPE). (2024, April 26). Facebook. Www.facebook.com. https://www.facebook.com/COPEtnt/posts/pfbid0A9tXfDDigcnHg9RYZ8PXx5RAmCRMxdiXHyhj23H7dtmtPdjaojCRcdEK1geMTe2Xl

Gonzales, E. (2024, April 27). Shark attack in Tobago leaves tourist severely injured; 10 beaches closed. Www.guardian.co.tt. https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/shark-attack-in-tobago-leaves-tourist-severely-injured-10-beaches-closed-6.2.1987148.6c788b3933

Nicholls, C. (2024, April 27). British man seriously injured in Tobago shark attack. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/27/americas/british-man-injured-tobago-shark-attack-intl/index.html

Paul, A.-L., & Gonzales, E. (2024, April 27). Marine biologist: No shark threat in Tobago. Www.guardian.co.tt. https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/marine-biologist-no-shark-threat-in-tobago-6.2.1986992.1b144007b6?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2JOCahJONyUJYf0Ng_Oe-67YJYVliXvwRR2ZSlWhWlhxfCjkn8W6StFiw_aem_AR9tKNEcJyqq9jA9GGhT5xoJkn5v40R3q8RvMLAqy0LC1adiyrA_UWN8fUNO5uGqQM8WIYWsysQpb8mhCUGAf-WK

Rampersad, S. (2024, April 26). [UPDATED] Seven beaches closed after shark attack in Tobago - Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. Newsday.co.tt. https://newsday.co.tt/2024/04/26/updated-seven-beaches-closed-after-shark-attack-in-tobago/

Ricomas, R., & Suraj, V. (2024, April 27). THA retracts $10,000 shark bounty - 103.1 FM. 103.1 FM Radio Station. https://103fm.tt/news/tha-retracts-10000-shark-bounty/

Skopeliti, C. (2024, April 27). Briton in critical care after “unusual” shark attack on Tobago. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/27/briton-64-critical-care-shark-attack-tobago