Lemon sharks: the study continues

Project Negara, named after Negaprion, the scientific name for lemon sharks, was launched in July 2014 and continued on November 24-30, 2014. The study is still run by Océane Beaufort, a specialist of this large fish of the carcharhinidae family currently seen not far from our shores and in more frequent contact with swimmers. Financed by the government and TEMEUM, and coordinated by the Kap Natirel association in Guadeloupe, this part of the study consisted of testing a new technique for the capture of a new specimen, in the juvenile stage of its life. Tried out along the shores of Tintamare, at the mouth of the Etang aux Poissons and at Bluff Point, this capture by net—which has less possible risk of injuring the shark—allowed for the capture of one individual, making it the 13th such lemon shark weighed, measured, and tagged in Réserve Naturelle. The recent passage of hurricane Gonzalo, rough marine weather conditions, and the arrival of massive banks of sargassum did not make the crew’s job any easier. This study is designed to answer big questions about sharks in Saint Martin, about which very little is known. What is the interaction between these animals and swimmers? Is it necessary to adapt their management ? One thing is certain: it is dangerous to cause situations that lead to accidents, such as the misadventure last October of an employee at a Dutch diving club who had part of her calf bitten off by a shark during a «shark feeding» session.