Hope for hammerheads

Aceh Jaya, on the southwest coast of Aceh, is an incredibly beautiful part of Indonesia. Sandy beaches and turquoise waters stretch for miles, juxtaposed by lush green hills and mountains. Coastal communities are dotted all along this lush coastline, and every day, hundreds of small-scale fishers head out into the turquoise waters with nets and lines, hoping to catch some food and make a living. They come back with lobsters and small reef and demersal fish to take home and sell in the market.

However, the shallow turquoise waters of Aceh Jaya also happen to be perfect nursery ground habitat for Critically Endangered hammerhead sharks. We know this because every dry season (roughly April to September) hundreds of juvenile hammerheads pile up in the harbor as part of the daily catch.