Island Ambush by Bindi Irwin Page A

long trip ahead of them, around the atoll and across the open sea.
    Standing on the bow with Kelly, Bindi felt the sun warm on her skin. She looked down. The coral appeared as dark shapes below the aqua water. Here and there, it had grown so high it broke through the surface, little coral islands that seemed to float on the sea.
    â€˜It’s so beautiful!’
    â€˜Sure is,’ Kelly said. ‘But we’ve got to suss out who finned that baby hammerhead. I’m still fuming about it!’
    â€˜Me too,’ Bindi replied. ‘But it could have been anyone! How do we find them?’
    Kelly tapped her head. ‘We’ll need to use our noggins.’
    Just then Bindi spotted a boat off to starboard. It was heading east, and would eventually cross their path.
    She pointed. ‘There’s our first suspect.’
    The boat was moving quickly, and soon they could see it was a ‘dhoni’, like Meena’s boat. A dhoni was a boat with a high, curved prow and traditionally made of coconut wood. It was unique to the Maldives, and many fishermen still used them here.
    As the boat drew near, the girls heard a shout. They turned to see Meena waving madly.
    â€˜Ah, they must be friends, not foe,’ Kelly said.
    Two people on the boat were waving back.
    The girls ran across to Meena, who was sitting by the motor.
    â€˜Do you know them, Meena?’ Bindi asked.
    â€˜Yes, they’re fellow scientists. They’re studying the coral. I see them out here all the time.’ Meena smiled. ‘Their boat’s a bit faster than mine.’
    â€˜A bit?’ Kelly burst out laughing. ‘Compared to us they’re flying!’
    The boat overtook them and soon was just a dot on the sea. Kelly and Bindi returned to the bow to keep watch.
    Another boat appeared some way behind them. Whatever kind of boat this one was, it was super fast. In a matter of minutes it had caught up with them.
    The girls could see that the boat was a large modern fishing boat. It had red writing on its side.
    â€˜What’s that big reel on the back?’ Bindi asked Kelly.
    â€˜I think that’s a long line,’ Kelly replied. ‘That’s the new way they fish for tuna around here. Meena told me all about it.’
    The fishing boat overtook them and sped on. Now they were travelling in its frothy wake, which looked like a road cut across the surface of the water.
    â€˜How does the long line work?’ Judging by the frown on Kelly’s face, Bindi almost wished she hadn’t asked.
    Kelly slumped against the side of the boat. ‘Well, they let out a long fishing line, sometimes longer than 100 kilometres, with thousands of shorter lines hanging off it, each with a hook,’ she said. ‘They pull it through the water then later reel it all in. Sure, they catch plenty of tuna. But they also catch lots of other things – sharks, turtles, even dolphins. Most of them die – they’re just called “bycatch”.’
    â€˜How unfair!’
    Kelly grimaced. ‘It’s totally unfair.’
    Bindi narrowed her eyes, ‘I guess it’s also an easy way to get your hands on shark fins.’
    Kelly nodded. ‘Meena said shark fin is like rhino horn around here. It’s really valuable. That’s why that little hammerhead lost his fin. To thicken up some shark fin soup.’
    Bindi felt her anger rise like an ocean wave. She looked down into the blue waters and thought about all the wonderful creatures that lived there.
    The fishing boat’s wake was still visible on the surface. Bindi spotted something lying directly in their path. It was another lifeless shark. This one was a reef shark. But like the little hammerhead, it was finless.
    Bindi pointed it out to her friend. ‘There’s no time to waste, Kelly. We’ve got to find out who’s doing this.’
    Kelly saluted. ‘Aye aye, Cap’n.’

It was late afternoon when Meena