Add to the finners' toll the targeted as well as unintended take of millions of sharks by commercial fishermen, plus the slow reproductive rate of sharks, and grim outcomes loom. The oceanic whitetip, one of the most abundant sharks just three decades ago, is critically endangered in parts of its range because of relentless demand for its fins. The great white shark of Hollywood notoriety is believed to be in jeopardy worldwide. Even seemingly plentiful species such as lemons, bulls, and Caribbean reef sharks are threatened by fishing pressure and habitat loss. Scientists warn that many shark populations could be dangerously depleted within a decade, barring bold action. Large-scale bans on finning, more accurate reporting of sharks caught unintentionally, and establishment of marine sanctuaries could all help ease sharks' plight—as would a boost in research dollars. But without strict enforcement around the world, their numbers will continue to nose-dive.

In the Bahamas, commercial long-line fishing has been illegal since 1993, and shark parts cannot be exported from the country. Sportfishermen take some sharks, but demand for the meat is low. All this helps keep the blue waters a sanctuary for the blacktip, reef, and nurse sharks that vie for nibbles from nooks in the coral, for the oceanic whitetip on its global wanderings, for the great hammerhead rocking its bizarre snout side to side in search of prey.

But as developers make their way around the archipelago, shark habitat will continue to be whittled away. These big fish are magnificent in their own right and vital to the natural workings of this place. If the sharks go, so too goes a bountiful ecosystem that feeds local people and keeps outsiders coming back to the islands to fish, to dive, to write, to dream.