No luck, but they do find a bone fish torn in half with a telltale crescent bite mark. Behind the atoll's steep, white sand beach and the island's five trees, a warm lagoon provides protection for animals. Most of the meandering shores are covered in grass that harbors thousands and thousands of birds. Frigate birds, masked boobies, the sooty tern and the brown noddy are virtually oblivious to the presence of humans. The next morning, a fleet of dinghies set out, armed with hooks, nets and knives.
Teams move into positions around the island.
On the north side, baited longline hooks dangle from the ocean's surface. Another team, anchored on a shipwreck to the west, tosses chum into the water while radios relay garbled news of any progress in the field. An 8-foot lemon shark glides through the shallow waters of Atol das Rocas. For a while, the team worried that no adult lemon sharks would be found. As we sit on the surface after our first dive, a voice over the radio announces that baby lemon sharks have begun arriving at Atol das Rocas, just as predicted.