Scalloped hammerhead school spotted in Cayman’s deep waters

A school of scalloped hammerhead sharks has been observed by local and international marine researchers as they survey Cayman’s deep waters.

The Department of Environment announced the “fantastic surprise” Wednesday on its official Facebook page.

“The team from Marine Conservation International and the Department of Environment have been out surveying the deeper waters to map the fish, large invertebrates and the substrate in the water 50 to 200m down for the Cayman Deep See Project. There was a fantastic surprise found below 200 [metres],” the DoE said.

Shark scientist Johanna Kohler said the sighting is significant for conservation efforts.

“From our surveys we know this species is present throughout the year but we have only recorded single individuals up until now. I thought in Cayman these schools of hammerheads were locally extinct. With shark populations declining globally and hammerheads being among the most critically endangered to become extinct, this is such a paramount finding for Cayman,” she told the Cayman Compass Wednesday night in an emailed comment.

I actually cried when I first saw the sharks on the video. It was very emotional. Shark conservation can be tough and takes a lot of energy without being able to see the immediate benefit – Shark scientist Johanna Kohler

She said the sighting gives hope that, if Cayman as a community continues conservation efforts, “our marine environment, including important top predators such as sharks, might withstand the impacts of past and current stressors such as extensive fishing, pollution and climate change so that future generations are able to experience the beauty of the oceans around our islands”.

“I actually cried when I first saw the sharks on the video. It was very emotional. Shark conservation can be tough and takes a lot of energy without being able to see the immediate benefit,” Kohler said.

The DoE said its video footage showed the school of scalloped hammerheads.

“Scalloped hammerhead sharks used to be found in very large schools around Cayman in the 1970s but there have not been any reported recently. So, this is wonderful news for the shark population around Cayman. Surveys are continuing. Let’s see what more we find in the deep,” the DoE said.

According to the website of the Oceana organisation – which is dedicated to protecting and restoring the world’s oceans – “conservation scientists have considered the scalloped hammerhead to be endangered with extinction for quite some time, and legal authorities have recently started to agree”.

In July 2014, Oceana said, the United States listed several populations of the scalloped hammerhead as legally endangered, “the first time that distinction has been extended to a shark species”.

Scalloped hammerheads can be up to 13 feet long.

The DoE said the sighting of these sharks, which are usually found in large schools, “is wonderful news for Cayman’s shark population”.