The Bake & Shark Conundrum

Article written by Vahsish Sieurajsingh

Bake & Shark (sometimes wrongly called Shark & Bake) arguably falls into the BIG three of Quintessential Trini Dishes (Doubles & Roti being the other two) From humble beginnings It has surged in popularity, primarily driven by the work done by Richard’s Bake & Shark Hut on Maracas beach. This has spawned several new establishments on the beach as well as the dish itself being commonplace in fetes, weddings or any event seeking a scrumptious dish. The hallmarks of the dish are its simplicity and taste; bake, some choice garnishes and some fried shark and you are set for a good time. Unfortunately, this popularity has resulted in our sharks having an unrelenting horrible time. Is this fishery sustainable? Do we need a culture shift? Please allow me to take you on a little journey to uncover some answers and learn some hard truths.

Sharks are ancient creatures, the earliest fossils dating back to 450 Million years ago, that predates all dinosaurs. In this time, they have evolved into almost 500 unique species, with the most familiar to us being Great White (the star of Jaws and countless other movies), Hammerheads (famous for their distinct head shape), Mako (renowned for their speed in the water) and Tiger sharks (for their distinctive patterned skin), Trinidad & Tobago’s coastal waters are home to more than 40 distinct species, which is very impressive for our country’s small size and great for our biodiversity. In our ecosystems they are key apex predators, whose importance is often overlooked.

In any ecosystem Apex predators play a critical roll in maintaining balance. Sharks will hunt and kill weak and sick prey fish which improves the overall health of the system. Also, by keeping the number of other large predators in check, the biodiversity of the system is maintained. Apex predators also control the prey species spatial habitat which governs their feeding patterns and diets. This control is essential in coral reef and seagrass systems. A general rule of thumb is a healthy shark population equates to a positive indicator for ocean health, such is their importance.

In Trinidad & Tobago our recorded data shows that Sharks rank fourth in our total estimated landing in artisanal fishing (800 tons per annum) This is an undeniable underreported figure, as it does not account for catches from recreational fishermen, or sharks which are finned and cast away. Additionally, our data collection systems are underfunded and ad hoc. There is one targeted shark fishery on the north coast, which targets the Brazilian sharpnose shark, recorded data suggests that most of the catch composes of females carrying pups. This brings us to the major issue with the shark fishery, reproduction.

With sharks being at the top of their respective food chains, they have evolved to have very long gestational periods and very few offspring. This measure ensures the oceans are not flooded with predators. For example, you would have a Brazilian sharpnose shark having a litter of 2-8 pups after a 10-month gestation, compare that to a Spanish mackerel (Carite) which can have 500,000 – 1,500,000 eggs in its spawning cycle. A large percentage of the Carite fry do not make it to adulthood, but this is a stark comparison to shark reproduction. It also is the reason why shark fisheries are extremely fickle and sustained fishing is not sustainable. It’s a simple numbers game, sharks simply cannot keep up.

Conservation of our sharks must take precedence. Sharks have historically been feared and hated, their reputation steeped in infamy due to their portrayal as the Maneater villain in movies and the scandalous exaggerations of their attacks. The misinformation and stigma have led to a society which has little empathy for their plight. People tend to view sharks as a trophy fish to catch and have no qualms with killing one as some sort of heroic act. Trinidad & Tobago has zero documented cases of fatal shark attacks. In fact, the recorded data shows just one shark attack in 1938 for a surfer in Manzanilla. This is essentially a non-issue for us.

Consumers must also carefully consider their health when consuming Shark meat. Due to the pollution in all our coastal environments, Shark meat is very unfit for consumption. This is due to the bioaccumulation of toxins and metals. Bioaccumulation is the process which there is an increase in contaminants in aquatic life as your move up the food chain. Sharks being at the top of the food chain in conjunction with their long-life spans make them the most prone to harbor dangerous levels of toxins, in particular mercury. Removing sharks & other top predators such as grouper or barracuda from your diet will help limit the risk associated with seafood intake.

Education is required especially with our children as it is with a change in their mindset can we ever hope for sustainable and impactful change. We need regulations on our fisheries. We need to end ocean trawling and other indiscriminate large scale fishing practices. We need more publicity on the importance of these creatures and campaigns for their protection. We need to create protected areas in our oceans so sharks and other marine life can have a chance for their numbers to rebound. Conservation works, Palau created the world’s first shark sanctuary in 2009. Since then, the return of life and diversity of all species has been incredible.

What does this mean for our island dish? As Trinbagonians we need a culture shift. We have so many better options we can replace this bake and shark with. Bake and lionfish (which would also help us control an invasive species) Bake and kingfish or bake and shrimp are apt choices. Perhaps most fitting is Bake and catfish, but this is a culinary faux pas in Trinidad & Tobago. It is widely touted as the fish being used anyway in huts, under the guise of being shark, if this is indeed the case then surely with some creative rebranding (think White Oak), we can ease off the bake and shark indefinitely.

Supply is there to meet our demand, but this supply is limited and waning. We as a people should always strive to demand better. Better in this case, is bringing an end to our Bake and Shark purchases. The change starts with the individual, your actions can make a difference, Make that difference!