THA aiming to 'neutralise shark threat'

THE TOBAGO House of Assembly (THA) is using emergency responders, including the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard and the Department of Fisheries, in the wake of a shark attack which left a British tourist severely injured.

A statement from the THA said the emergency services are being deployed to “neutralise” the “shark threat.”

Peter Smith, 64, of Berkhamsted, England, was attacked by a shark while bathing at Courland Bay around 9.14 am on April 26.

As a result the THA announced in a statement that seven beaches at Plymouth, Courland Bay, Black Rock, Mt Irvine, Buccoo, Pigeon Point, Store Bay, and all coastal areas in between would be closed.

“The temporary closure will allow emergency responders, including the TT Coast Guard and the Department of Fisheries, to conduct a thorough assessment of the situation and neutralise the shark threat, if possible,” the THA statement said.

Reports said Smith’s left arm and left thigh were severed in the attack. He was also bitten in the abdomen.

In an Instagram post THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine said Smith was being treated at the Scarborough General Hospital.

The shark, Augustine said, appeared to be a bull shark, about eight-ten feet long and two feet wide.

He said the attack happened about ten metres from the shore at the Starfish resort.

Just after midday, in another social media post, Augustine said the THA had received notices of shark sightings in Grafton, Tobago.

In another post he shared a video depicting a shark swimming in shallow waters off Buccoo Reef .

A man’s voice could be heard in the video shouting, “Look de shark swimming in Buccoo!”

A shark's fin could be seen emerging from the shallow waters near the jetty.

The THA said it is working closely with local authorities to monitor the waters.

“We will notify the public as soon as it is deemed safe to reopen the Buccoo Reef Marine Park. In the meantime, we strongly advise all beachgoers, fisherfolk, and mariners to exercise extreme caution when operating in the coastal areas,” the statement said.

In a brief statement, the British High Commission said it is “supporting a British man after an incident' and was in contact with the local authorities.