Article Summary:

Jim Abernethy, owner of JASA and well-known to many Wetpixel members, was bitten by a Caribbean reef shark yesterday and hospitalized. Jim is at pains to stress that his injuries are minor and that he plans to resume his shark advocacy at the earliest possible opportunity. This is from his Facebook page:

“Thank you for your concerns and well-wishes tonight; I’m going to be fine. My concern is for the future of sharks. Each day more than 200,000 are killed - mostly for shark fin soup. Since the 1970s, sharks populations have plummeted by as much as 80 percent, with some species reduced by a staggering 97 percent. I’ve spent the last two decades of my life in the Bahamas with the sharks that I love. Today’s minor incident will not deter me. I will continue my mission to help protect these beautiful animals and share their grace and wonder with others. I am dedicated to promotion and establishment of marine preserves for these creatures and all marine life. This is the only way to help protect the future of our oceans – and the life, resources, and joy it brings to all of us.Thank you again for your concerns and well wishes. I plan to be back out to sea in a few days.”

I’m sure all Wetpixel member will join in wishing Jim a swift recovery.