The Tribune

THE Bahamas National Trust is beaming with pride after being selected for a major donation as part of the Discovery Channel's exciting show "Shark Tank Meets Shark Week" which aired on Wednesday night on the Discovery Channel.

The TV sharks - tough, self-made, multi-millionaire and billionaire tycoons - search to invest in the best businesses and products that America has to offer. The sharks give people from all walks of life the chance to chase the American dream and potentially secure business deals that could make them millionaires. The sharks also have a goal, too - to get a return on their investment and own a piece of the next big business idea.

On Wednesday night's show, instead of fighting for a piece of a business idea, the sharks were all pitching a $50,000 donation for their favourite conservation organisation. Each shark had to convince their peers why their shark-centric non-profit organisation, whom they were paired with, deserved to win the $50,000 donation.

FUBU tycoon, Daymond John, was teamed with BNT to pitch the its phenomenal shark conservation success story. Mr John presented a convincing argument, and brought home the $50,000 prize for the BNT. He later placed the icing on the cake by matching the winnings; bringing the prize money to a total $100,000 for BNT.

Shelley Cant-Woodside, BNT's director of science and policy, was ecstatic about the win.

"The Bahamas is a small country that is doing big things in terms of conservation," she said. "Through extensive education and outreach, working with PEW Charitable Trusts, the BNT was able to work with Bahamas government to declare the Bahamas a shark sanctuary in 2011. We were excited to be selected and recognised for our work, but to be selected as the most deserving conservation organisation is amazing."

She added that the Bahamas was the first to establish a land and sea park in the Western Hemisphere and lobbied for the banning of longline fishing which was important in maintaining healthy shark populations.

"The BNT was very excited to be selected as one of the conservation organisations featured on the Discovery Channel's 'Shark Tank meets Shark Week. Our shark Daymond John was so impressed with the BNT's work in having the Bahamas declared a shark sanctuary that he matched the $50,000 conservation grant. We are beyond excited and very proud to have been declared the winner of the competition. Our sharks must have been very convincing when they met Daymond John," said, Janet Johnson, BNT president.

BNT has thanked the Ministry of Tourism and and tourism representative Donna Mackey.