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South Bimini is home to the
world famous Bimini Biological Field Station (BBFS), known
locally as the “Sharklab”. Primarily focused on research,
the organization simultaneously encourages conservation and
protection of Bimini’s crown jewel, its natural ecosystem.
You may already have heard of
the Sharklab, as their pioneering work has been featured in
literally dozens of media outlets including National
Geographic, the BBC, CNN, Fox, ABC, CBS, MSNBC and many
more. They’ve even been on the popular MythBusters Show on
the Discovery Channel!
The
organization's primary goal is the education the public on
the vital role of sharks, in particular the Lemon shark, in
the tropical marine ecosystem.
The islands of Bimini,
especially the North Sound and Sharkland, are vital habitat
for the Lemon shark species for many reasons; including
their small range area for the first three to four years of
life, their year-long gestation period and their mating
habitats.
The group also works with
spotted eagle rays, southern stingrays, marine geography,
biotope, mapping and other areas of marine science. Of
course they are always alert to Nurse, Tiger, Blacktip,
Caribbean Reef, Bull, Great Hammerhead, Blacknose and
Atlantic sharks, to name a few of the at least 13 species
you may encounter in Bimini. The lab maintains a
website at:
www.miami.edu/sharklab
Better yet, next time you’re on
South Bimini, just take your golf-cart to the
smaller-than-life station. You’ll see the shark sign when
you head south on the left hand side of the road just before
the last turn to the Bimini Beach Club. You may want to ask
around for directions locally as there are few road signs on
South Bimini. All in all a worthwhile and fascinating way to
spend an afternoon on Bimini. |
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