wuestehu

Limbaugh 1958 is a good reference for the assessment of the shark population.

President Roosevelt was obsessed by the atoll too and used to take his guest fishing there before WW2...in his yatch and US Navy warship. The game was to bring the catch onboard before the sharks had it...and most of the time, it was reported they won!

Sharks were also very numerous -but not agressive- when Cousteau went there in 76 or 80.
Since that last video documentary, the shark population has visibly been shrinking according to the various scientific surveys (2001, 2005).

The sharks have been literally looted by Japanese floating factories (cannot even call them fishing boats) .
They used to come and poach for fins until fined and pushed away by the French Navy.
It looks like after that they just went to the limit s of the international waters and paid smallerl south american fishing boats to do their bad deeds.
According to what I heard, only the price of fuel has been keeping them away and the shark population could be on the rebound, thus all the juveniles.
Problem lies on Mexico too.
France granted permits without quotas to Mexican fishing boats...scary sight...they have onboard helicopters that can track tunas. Once the loot has been spotted from the air, ships move in and take everything. With the food supply, the food chain disrupted...would the big sharks go away?
Finally, the Clipperton waters are supposed to be the last refuge of the 400 pounder tunas sports fishermen long for. Long range fishing is the last "plague".