Lemon Sharks
Since March 2016 a couple of Lemon Sharks (Negaprion breviroster) are observed in a secret spot of Bonaire Island. Sharks are hardly seen along the coastal waters of the island, if you exclude the east coast, where some Nurse sharks are resident and other reef species were observed. The first spotted shark was during a snorkeling afternoon. The spot is kept secret for several reason, most of all to protect te sharks from being captured by fishermen.
Resident Nurse sharks discovered in the Mangroves
resident Nurse sharks in the mangroves
In January 2020, during my exploration in the Mangrove system, I’ve found a group of 7 nurse sharks hidden in the mangroves within the intricate submerged roots system. Only after many other visits, I could tell that the nurse sharks are resident in the specific zone. It seems the the sharks are sleeping in the mangrove during the day and are active at night, when, supposely, they move to the inner reef to hunt. I’ve started my monitoring on them and my intent is to determine how many different individuals are present by visual/photographic identification. There are no reports of nurse sharks sighting in the mangroves in the past, therefore my aim is to show more loudly how important are the mangroves for the reef’s health.