Cullers aware of shark threat

Lionfish cullers are being warned to take additional precautions after a number of incidents involving aggressive behavior from reef sharks and eels. 

The situation was catapulted into world headlines this week when a culler posted a video of himself fending off a Caribbean reef shark in Grand Cayman’s waters as it tried to take his catch. The short clip has received nearly 2 million hits since last Thursday. 

Several other divers have reported similar incidents involving sharks and moray eels. Some have been bitten by eels while hunting lionfish. 

Any interaction with sharks in Grand Cayman is still relatively rare – particularly for divers who are not culling. 

But dive companies, culling organizations and the Department of Environment are urging lionfish hunters to exercise caution when sharks or eels are around. 

Jason Washington of the Cayman United Lionfish League said it is now routine for cullers to dive with a “spotter” looking out for predators.  

He said the increase in “interactions” with divers and predators is largely caused by divers feeding lionfish to sharks from spears and he urges anyone still doing this to stop.  

He said this has been proven not to “teach” sharks to prey on lionfish, as originally hoped, but only to educate them to associate divers with food. 

“If everyone culls responsibly, this interaction between marine predators and divers will come down,” he said.  

Department of Environment officials agree that feeding sharks, eels and snapper from spears is the root of the problem. They hope to use the video clip in presentations to cullers so that they are aware of potential dangers. 

They are advising divers not to cull in the presence of sharks. 

If a shark approaches and shows an interest in the diver or containment device, cullers are advised to drop their catch and exit the water, using safe diving practices. 

Bradley Johnson, a research officer for the Department of Environment, said it is critical to ascend slowly to the surface. Divers who panic and bolt to the surface risk getting the bends or other complications. 

Steve Broadbelt, of Ocean Frontiers – one of the most prolific cullers of lionfish in Grand Cayman – said the YouTube video could be used to educate other cullers. 

“The shark did nothing wrong, and thankfully the diver was not hurt and has published a very good example of what not to do when a shark shows up,” he said. “I have no idea who this diver or divers were, and do not blame them for their actions as it is easy to sit back and pick fault from the comfort of my desk without a reef shark circling me.  

“I hope this can serve to inform other divers who are volunteering on their own time to do this very important environmental work.” 

He said predators are a fact of life for lionfish cullers. 

“From time to time, when you are culling lionfish, various predators are going to show up. They are interested in one thing and one thing only – the speared lionfish.” 

He recommends dropping both the containment device and the spear, which is often the object of interest for sharks. 

“If the diver holds on to the catch, then you simply become part of that one thing that is smelling very tasty to such a predator.” 

He added, “The lionfish culling needs to continue and dive operators are working with DoE on establishing new best practices in such scenarios.” 

Mr. Johnson said information gleaned from licensed cullers across Cayman indicates that sharks are beginning to “show interest” in divers with spears, suggesting they had been fed from spears in the past. 

He said several cullers have reported “aggressive eel behavior” but in most cases the eel left them alone once they ascended from the reef. 

In some cases, divers have been followed toward the surface by eels, but once they drop the containment device, the eel has left them alone. 

Neil van Niekerk, of Southern Cross dive resort in Little Cayman, said aggressive eels chase only the smell of food and would retreat once the containment device was dropped. 

He advises using hard-shell buckets, rather than clear containers where the lionfish are visible. He recommends that divers not cull in the presence of sharks. 

If they do turn up, he said, “Don’t act aggressively toward the sharks, however, stand your ground and swim towards them only if needed. If you run, they chase. Let them know you’re not afraid without antagonizing them.” 

He said the most important thing is for people to stop feeding sharks from spears. 

“Do not feed anything, especially not sharks and eels. This behavior will result in injury to you or someone else in the future.”