Whitetip Reef Shark

Photo: Debra Baker · CC BY

Whitetip reef sharks rest in caves and under overhangs along the outer wall, rising to patrol the reef at dusk and hunting cooperatively in packs after dark. The conservation area's strict no-take rules have allowed these sharks to reach high densities rarely seen elsewhere in Polynesia, and their recovery here offers a template for reef recovery across the region as overfishing pressure has historically reduced shark populations across the wider Pacific.