Metal Shark partners for ‘cays’ support

JEANERETTE, La. - Alabama and Louisiana-based shipbuilder Metal Shark has partnered with the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) to support the preservation of the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park. Created in 1959 as the world’s first protected area and home to the second-largest coral barrier reef in the western hemisphere, the park spans 176 square miles in the Bahamas region – a chain of more than 365 islands also known as “cays.” BNT is a non-profit entrusted with the preservation and management of the Bahamas national park system. Through its partnership with the BNT, Metal Shark will support the park’s full-time staff and volunteers by providing boats, technical assistance, and funding in support of research, conducting wildlife inventories, and patroling the park’s waters to guard against poaching and damage to the ecosystem. BNT is working with Metal Shark to optimize the designs of several popular Metal Shark vessels to allow for long-term service to the region with a minimal environmental footprint. Those vessels range from patrol boats for fisheries enforcement and customized landing craft for habitat restoration, mooring maintenance, and other projects. Beyond providing boats and technical resources, Metal Shark will use its social media to support the region with charitable donations from employees, friends and vendor partners. Metal Shark has launched a crowd-sourcing campaign to help support the park’s needs. (Source: Metal Shark 11/20/18)