Mexican Marines Guard Beaches After Shark Attacks
TUESDAY, 27 MAY 2008
Mexican Marines spread throughout Playa Linda and Playa Larga in the Municipality of Zihuatanejo to alert swimmers about the presence of sharks after American surfer Bruce Grimes suffered an attack on Saturday and another Mexican surfer bled to death after being bitten by a shark on Friday.
"Marines are alerting people about the attacks and advise them not to go in the water to avoid another accident. The beach is not closed, but people are being informed about the risks derived from the presence of sharks," said a Navy officer.
Grimes was injured on Saturday after being bitten by a shark in Playa Linda, Municipality of Zihuatanejo, adding to the count of three shark attacks against surfers in that area of the Mexican Pacific since last April 28, resulting in two deaths and one serious injury.
According to Jaime Vázquez Sobreira, Director of the Fire Department in the Municipality of José Azueta, Zihuatanejo, Grimes, a 49-year old American citizen who is a resident of that tourist destination, was surfing when he was injured apparently by a shark.
"Everything indicates that Grimes was attacked by a shark; we do not have more information because he was hurt while surfing, and was able to go on his own to the Navy Hospital located about 10 minutes away," explained the Municipal employee.
Grimes was able to survive thanks to timely medical attention, unlike 24-year old Adrian Ruiz on April 28 in Troncones and 21-year old Osvaldo Mata Valdovinos last Friday in Pantla, bleeding to death as a result of shark attacks and untimely medical attention.
"Luckily, Mr. Grimes arrived soon to the Navy hospital where he received medical attention. His health is reported as stable," said Vazquez Sobreira.
Aída Navarro, Wildlife Conservation Program Manager at WILDCOAST, urged the authorities of the State and Federal Governments to place signs on the beaches to alert about the presence of sharks in those areas and prevent more accidents.
"Killing sharks is not the solution to prevent more encounters with humans. Up to 100 million sharks each year are killed mostly for consumption in the Asian market. This has brought sharks to a critical situation and some species are even protected and in grave danger of extinction," said Navarro.
During a telephone interview, a high-ranking government official who wished to remain anonymous said that marines will be present throughout the whole weekend in different beaches in the Municipality of Zihuatanejo to safeguard swimmers and alert them about the risks.
"We cannot reveal the number of marines on the beaches for confidentiality issues, but they are spread out throughout the beaches. We have flown over the area, specially after the attack on April 28th in which an American citizen (Adrian Ruiz) died, and we saw a couple white sharks, advising the pertinent authorities," explained the official.
Meanwhile, the Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources of Guerrero, Arturo Sabás de la Rosa Camacho said that his agency will conduct meetings in Zihuatanejo starting next Wednesday with business owners, hotels, environmentalists, and fishermen to conduct coordinated actions to avoid more encounters between sharks and humans, especially surfers.
"We need to have scientific explanations for the presence of sharks, and if this can be attributed to climate changes in the areas where they have been found," said De la Rosa, who stated that the Guerrero government will invite experts to talk about this phenomenon of unusual shark encounters.
"Cold currents and an abundance of giant squid and other prey may be attracting sharks to the area," said Jose Leonardo Castillo Geniz, a shark expert with the National Fishing Institute. He said a large shark presence was unusual for the region.
Source:
www.surfline.com
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