healthy shark populations means a healthier reef

Fiji is an archipelago of more than 300 islands in the South Pacific. It is a world-famous tourist destination and has a well-established diving industry. Among them are a variety of businesses that offer dedicated shark-diving excursion. While commercial fishing is impacting Fiji just as it is most other Pacific countries, many of the islands still have some healthy reef shark populations. It is one of the best places to encounter large bull sharks, reliably, and large tiger sharks are often seen. Both species are a major attraction to shark divers.

Considering that Pacific Island nations do not have many options when it comes to fueling their economy, the role of sharks play in the tourism industry should not be underestimated. For many years, tourism authorities of islands that were destinations for honeymooners and the sun-seeking type of tourist were afraid to promote the fact that one can dive with sharks in their waters, fearing that it would drive away the average tourist. But the opposite has been proven to be true.

The highlights from a 2011 report:

• In 2010 it was estimated that approximately 49,000 divers were engaged in shark-diving activities in Fiji accounting for 78% of the 63,000 divers visiting the country. Dedicated and casual shark-divers accounted for 24% and 54% of all divers interviewed respectively.

• The shark-diving industry contributed US $17.5 million in taxes to the government, a sum composed of corporate taxes from shark-diving (US $11.6 million) and the direct taxes from shark-divers (US $5.9 million).

• A minimum of US $4 million was generated annually by shark-diving for local communities. This revenue consisted of salaries paid by the industry to employees (US $3.9 million annually) and community levies paid by dive operators to traditional owners in villages for access to reefs (US $124,200 annually).

• Employees of the dive industry were predominantly Fijian (13 of 14 dive guides who responded to surveys). Community levies from shark-diving have played a significant role in promoting the conservation of reefs through systems of traditional ownership.

Read more in this paper: The socio-economic value of the shark-diving industry in Fiji by Vianna et al., 2011.

Furthermore, it has also become evident that protecting shark diving locations also benefits the reefs. When fishing is limited or prohibited life on the coral reefs gets a break and can regenerate. The abundance of reef fish then also benefits local subsistence fishermen as the fish will eventually migrate to reefs outside the protected area.