Celebrating the Majesty of Sharks.
Shark Nets
A personal hate of mine. I would like to see them all removed including drumlines. Would love to hear from anyone who has heard of potential ideas of what to use instead of this barbaric method (have heard of some interesting test with sharks and magnets), anyone who has photos to share or stories to tell. How can we convince people that this is not the best way?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by iDive Sharks on -
I think everyone here hates shark nets with a passion. I was unfortunate enough to see them in South Africa during a six month filming gig for Nat Geo to cover the Tiger Sharks of the region. Fortunately I never witnessed their cruel and indiscriminate effectiveness on any wildlife during that time. This however in itself bears testament to the reduced number of sharks frequenting the netted regions, or they, the sharks, are simply smart enough to avoid them?
What really galls me though is the move by the Natal Sharks Board to start replacing what is in effect a passive system of protecting bathers from sharks to one that actively encourages sharks to enter into these very waters. How are they doing this? With the use of baited drumlines. To all extents and purposes the Natal Sharks Board, in my humble opinion, are a fishery. They have seen their nets, all 23km of them, return less and less productive yields over the years due to dwindling shark populations so now they are in effect fishing for sharks along the popular swimming beaches of KwaZulu-Natal.
They are on a winning ticket though. The general south African population hate sharks, they only hear of the attacks and see the big toothy monsters slopping out of the NSB trucks once they have been disentangled from the nets of death. The fact that sharks are now being actively enticed into the zones where people are seems to go unnoticed. It will only be a matter of time before someone else is 'tasted' whereupon the Natal Sharks Board will be called in to engage in publicly condoned shark genocide. A cunning tactic to employ.
Yes, I hate Shark Nets.
Cheers,
Mark.
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Permalink Reply by John Natoli on -
Let me begin by saying that I also hate them because of the 'indiscriminate effectiveness on any wildlife'
... however the problem here is that the biggest complaint on the subject of shark nets comes as a result of whales and/or turtles getting entangled in them - not sharks. Most people don't give a hoot about sharks being entangled in them simply because they have a fear of sharks, but nobody has a fear of whales or turtles and therefore when a whale becomes entangled in a net, the world seems to errupt.
So authorities may see the happy medium as No nets ... this saves the whales, but we must have drum lines because this protects humans from the sharks. Unfortunately, there are more people who want to protect whales than those that want to protect sharks ... and I love them both, but we're dealing with public perception here.
And I'm not on the side of drum lines either, but until people are educated on sharks ... or some sort of anti-shark repellant dive is successfully adopted so the public at large feel safe ... I just don't see things changing? Which is a real damn shame!!!!
John.
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Permalink Reply by iDive Sharks on
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Hi John,
I think it goes without saying for everyone that the indiscriminate killing and suffering inflicted by these nets is just abhorrent.
I don't think we need drum lines period. A scenario that plays out in my mind is that here you have a baited hook that attracts shark A. Shark A is hungry, has picked up on the scent of the bait and goes to investigate. Meanwhile shark B is also en route albeit somewhat delayed due to missing the alarm clock but nonetheless determined to find out where that delectable scent is coming from. Both sharks are attracted from a large distance that would not have been traveled without the incentive to do so emanating from the drum line.
Shark A gets the prize but in the proceeds gets snared on the drum line and dies a death from drowning.
Shark B arrives only to find the prize has disappeared. So, frustratingly, now that he's been salivating at the prospect of a week old Tuna head he goes to investigate those weak electrical impulses coming from the shallow waters, the once mixed with the dulled sounds so alien to his World. Oops, that's not Tuna!
And so starts the hysteria, yet again.
Cheers,
Mark.
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Permalink Reply by John Natoli on
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I know what you mean and I agree with you 100% ... that's a good argument to use ... because that's the argument that 'they' use against 'us' in the debate on chumming, etc .. so perhaps it is the very same argument to throw back at them.
Well done Mark .. good thinking.
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Permalink Reply by Rowena on -
Hi guys, apparently my message didnt post yesterday:
I agree totally with you both but what i also find is (and i can only talk for Australia here) is thre is a huge lack of understanding from the public about shark nets. We run education programs for schools and the community about sharks and shark conservation and i am always coming across people that believe what the media are telling them about how dangerous sharks are and how good shark meshing is. No-one seems to know that there are big gaps under, above and to the sides, or that most of the sharks caught are heading out to sea having already been in to the beach (without having a taster!) Im so sick of the media (and this probably comes into a different discussion group here but im my high horse right now and cant stop!) proclaiming these animals as monsters - they really should be sued for deformation of character. I have had a few run ins with people when i have (very politely) pointed out that they are perpetrating the myth about sharks
(including, John, that story of the 'monster' in QLD waters that we are all scared of!). It frustrates me because in the end it is what causes peoples fear, and that fear drives the need to have shark nets and drumlines in the water.
Fisheries actually have posted on their website that the nets are there to kill sharks and not to save human lives - they actually say that! They also say very confidently that the nets are designed to only catch mature sharks and not kill anything under 2m however when you look at their data sets most of the sharks caught are under 2m.
I love giving our talks and seeing peoples reactions to our info, seeing their eyes open as they realise the truth. Now dont get me wrong i like to give an open opinion on the matter and give facts from both sides but the case speaks for itself. There is no doubt that shark nets and drumlines do more harm than good. I think now at least (and i have to confirm this) in Australia they have to let the sharks go if they are still alive and in the nets (not sure about drumlines although i would assume that has to be the same) but that is only a recent addition. I have been out on a boat whilst the guy checks the drumlines, seeing a live shark shot in the head with a shotgun, dragged on board often still alive and finned and de-jawed is not a nice experience! Plus the damage that is done to the sharks whilst they are hanging on the line is nasty, not only are they prey for other sharks but they are so frantic that they twist on the line and it ends up cutting into their bodies inflicting severe injuries. You are so right Mark about the baited drumlines, its a crazy notion! Not only does shark A get the prize and death but gets to 'confirm' the fear that there are big sharks in the water 'close' to our beaches! Its a never ending cycle.
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Permalink Reply by Tony Dra'gon on -
Hi Guys.
I think the media have to take the majority of the blame for this attitude, as that is the only way that most people ever have any contact with them. I am so sick of seeing stories of "Shark attacks" in the papers, always accompanied by the obligatory picture of a Great White lunging out of the water regardless of what species was involved. The Discovery Channel's "Shark week" is another example of lazy media sensationalisation.
A site we regularly dive is a pier were about 200m from shore in just 3m of water you can have amazing encounters with large 2m wide Stingrays. They've been there for years, however now you can't tell anyone about it without being warned over "what happened to Steve Irwin".
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Permalink Reply by Adam Peden on -
Your right about the whales and turtles, infact I personally agree with you on everything you said. I was reading a book called "Sharks the Silent Savages"(it was made in the 1900's so of course everyone hated sharks) and while ALOT of the "information" was not up to date it did have a good idea. The use of sonic (or sound) reppelent. It made sense, the sharks stayed away from areas where they were in use. No shark would have to die because of it, and it was extremely effective. The man never finished his research unfortuatly, so now the only option of a reppelent is the one being made by Dr. Gruber in the bimini bahamas shark lab, but I doubt that it will be able to sustain its self. It works, but it involves a dead shark, which would mean that if it was put to use with fisherman they would still have to have a steady line of many many dead sharks in order for it to reach a good number of fisheries. And it wouldnt help the public in their fear because it would have to be shot out into the water when the sharks are already there. So I believe that the only way we could protect sharks is if we found the right freuentcy sound waves to deter sharks from certain areas, that way NO shark would have to die, and the public would feel safe.
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Permalink Reply by Adam Peden on
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thats extremely sad. After he died i started watching some episodes from his newer show, and I felt kind of a bond to him... especially when I found out he was a shark diver! He evened named some wobegongs down in Australia. That is not what he would've wanted it. He loved the rays, he loved the ocean and he was all about protection. He probably would have have been so dissapointed and deppressed that because he made a mistake while approching a ray, and died because of it, now rays have a bad rap.
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Permalink Reply by Rowena on
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I wanted to share this article with you all - its a response to the 'Monster Shark' article that has give us all so much annoyance lately.....
By Rory Gibson
November 03, 2009 12:00am
THERE appears to be a VERY BIG shark out there.
We know this because it made a snack out of just a BIG shark, a 3m white pointer, off Stradbroke Island last week.
Photos of what was left of the hapless great white, huge chunks of flesh torn from its once streamlined body, flashed around the world.
The size of the bigger shark was estimated to be at least 5m, causing the sphincters of Straddie's surfers to get very watertight indeed.
Shark photos and stories always elicit fascination but this particular photo should have caused cheering. It should have sparked a celebration that an animal that big still roams our seas.
And then it should have caused outrage that Queensland conducts a shark control program of dubious worth that indiscriminantly kills a creature listed as vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
If you or I went out there and killed that 3m great white, we would be prosecuted and fined.
But Queensland and New South Wales have exemptions under the Act that allow the killing of these rare and beautiful creatures in the name of keeping swimmers safe.
"The shark control program is a bather-safety initiative and white sharks are an acknowledged threat to bathers," Queensland shark control program manager Tony Ham said. "There is an exemption for the shark control program in the fisheries legislation that allows their take within the program."
This is a great example of why governments are such a rich source of material for comedians.
There are hardly any great whites left. They are protected in Australia. Australia lobbied to have the species listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora to deter the lucrative trade in their jaws and teeth.
The Federal Government has what it calls a White Shark Recovery Plan. And then Queensland is allowed to throw baited drumlines into the sea and kill every peckish white pointer that passes by. What a joke.
The netting protecting Queensland and NSW beaches is a problem too, snaring its share of white pointers. And aren't we all getting a bit sick of seeing whales hooked up in the nets?
Hardly anything is known about white pointers – other than their numbers have crashed around the world, with estimates ranging between 60 and 90 per cent.
The Shark Recovery Plan says this about them: "The listing of the white shark as vulnerable was based on a number of factors, including evidence of a declining population, its life history characteristics (long-lived and low levels of reproduction), limited local distribution and abundance at the time of listing, and still being under pressure from the Australian commercial fishing industry."
There would be few things more terrifying than being attacked by a great white shark, no argument. But the chances of it happening are laughably remote. This is what the International Shark Attack File, which monitors shark-related incidents around the world, has to say about your chances of getting a nip:
"From a statistical standpoint, the chances of dying in this area (the sea) are markedly higher from many other causes (such as drowning and cardiac arrest) than from shark attack," it says.
"Many more people are injured and killed on land while driving to and from the beach than by sharks in the water. Shark attack trauma also is less common than such beach-related injuries as spinal damage, dehydration, jellyfish and stingray stings and sunburn. Indeed, many more sutures are expended on sea shell lacerations of the feet than on shark bites!"
The United States has more shark attacks than anywhere else.
But the ISAF says more people die in the US from sand-hole collapses on the beach than from an encounter with a Noah's Ark.
Certainly, in Queensland, you are more likely to die going for a few quiet drinks at a nightclub than being chomped in half at Straddie.
Perhaps the State Government should introduce a dickhead management program whereby the police are allowed to set mantraps baited with schooners of beer or bottles of Bundy near where potential glassers might lurk. It won't matter if the odd innocent drinker gets caught because the cops will be granted a legislative exemption.
Almost without exception, the people who survive shark attacks wish no ill-will to the creatures and anyone who has seen one while diving or snorkelling can't help but marvel at their sleek grace.
Great whites are the best sharks, the most awesome sharks, the sharks everyone would love to see.
So why are we still killing them when there are so few left?
There should be a moratorium on both netting and drumlines until a non-lethal method of shark management can be devised.
It's a small risk with a big reward.
Paul Syvret is on leave
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Permalink Reply by Rowena on
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An interesting study is that of Hawaii where they had a beach meshing program for years, which was removed in the 1970's due to public outcry at the number of sharks being killed. The government listened to the people and now they are net free! Amazing! Would be nice if all governments would listen to the majority that way, although i wonder if the majority here in Australia are pro net?
iDive Sharks said:I think everyone here hates shark nets with a passion. I was unfortunate enough to see them in South Africa during a six month filming gig for Nat Geo to cover the Tiger Sharks of the region. Fortunately I never witnessed their cruel and indiscriminate effectiveness on any wildlife during that time. This however in itself bears testament to the reduced number of sharks frequenting the netted regions, or they, the sharks, are simply smart enough to avoid them?
What really galls me though is the move by the Natal Sharks Board to start replacing what is in effect a passive system of protecting bathers from sharks to one that actively encourages sharks to enter into these very waters. How are they doing this? With the use of baited drumlines. To all extents and purposes the Natal Sharks Board, in my humble opinion, are a fishery. They have seen their nets, all 23km of them, return less and less productive yields over the years due to dwindling shark populations so now they are in effect fishing for sharks along the popular swimming beaches of KwaZulu-Natal.
They are on a winning ticket though. The general south African population hate sharks, they only hear of the attacks and see the big toothy monsters slopping out of the NSB trucks once they have been disentangled from the nets of death. The fact that sharks are now being actively enticed into the zones where people are seems to go unnoticed. It will only be a matter of time before someone else is 'tasted' whereupon the Natal Sharks Board will be called in to engage in publicly condoned shark genocide. A cunning tactic to employ.
Yes, I hate Shark Nets.
Cheers,
Mark.
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Permalink Reply by Rowena on
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An honors student here in Australia is doing some amazing things with magnets! He is finding that magnets are deterring sharks. I hope he gets funding to keep pursuing this.
Adam Peden said:Your right about the whales and turtles, infact I personally agree with you on everything you said. I was reading a book called "Sharks the Silent Savages"(it was made in the 1900's so of course everyone hated sharks) and while ALOT of the "information" was not up to date it did have a good idea. The use of sonic (or sound) reppelent. It made sense, the sharks stayed away from areas where they were in use. No shark would have to die because of it, and it was extremely effective. The man never finished his research unfortuatly, so now the only option of a reppelent is the one being made by Dr. Gruber in the bimini bahamas shark lab, but I doubt that it will be able to sustain its self. It works, but it involves a dead shark, which would mean that if it was put to use with fisherman they would still have to have a steady line of many many dead sharks in order for it to reach a good number of fisheries. And it wouldnt help the public in their fear because it would have to be shot out into the water when the sharks are already there. So I believe that the only way we could protect sharks is if we found the right freuentcy sound waves to deter sharks from certain areas, that way NO shark would have to die, and the public would feel safe.
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