Alternatives to Shark Culling Forum

Sunday, March 30, 2014 from 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM. Alexander State Library Theatre, 25 Francis Street, Perth.

This event will offer an opportunity to see the different alternatives to shark culling. The forum will provide an opportunity to hear from the people looking into ways to prevent shark incidents as alternatives to shark baiting and killing. You will also have the opportunity to ask questions about ways researchers and scientists are looking at making people safer in the water.

The forum will be followed by a free panel session at 4pm where you can hear from a range of people including senate candidates about what they will be doing going forward.

All donations go towards venue hire and to put on the event (projector, microphones, tables etc).

Please reserve your spot here: www.eventbrite.com/e/alternatives-to-shark-culling-forum-tickets-10827765137?ref=estw

First thing you need to do is lobby the government to ban cage diving in South Oz.

Hi all,

This event will not cover the "to cull or not to cull" debate, it's purpose is purely to showcase some of the alternatives for keeping us safe in the water. There is a lot of interesting research & development going on out there and this is an opportunity to learn about it first hand. Some of these talks will cover the most successful shark-mitigation methods used over seas, others research going on right on our door step. It's really interesting stuff!!

A lot of effort has gone into organising the day, and as far as I'm aware there are no other plans for a similar event. If it interests you please book yourself a ticket & head on down there, if not just disregard the thread.

If there is anything else you'd like to hear about please post it here - it probably won't happen this time but good to know for future events.

Thanks :)

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Mark _australia said..

The anti-cull mob lost me completely weeks ago.

It was when the TV news invited people down to Cottelsoe so they could cover the debate.... about 30 pro-cull people showed up and the anti's refused to show up and be interviewed if pro-cull people were there also.
What, too afraid to have a balanced debate?
Then they got about 3000 people there for the typical hysteria rally

Mark to explain that. The TV crew said that they wanted a one on one debate between one surf life saver and one anti cull protester. It was agreed on even though the Anti cull were told they would only get a 30 second reply to the 3 minutes of Pro cull talk. Anyway the pro commentator was from Cott Surf and a email went out to all members asking them to turn up and support their argument. One of the Members was a anti culler and passed the info on and when the TV crew was questioned, they said lets have a in us v's them style argument. The Anti cull side didn't see the value in promoting gutter TV interviews and with drew.. Nothing too cryptic really

Nothing balanced about that..

Elcee you beat me to it. I was just about to post the poster. I have said it before you can be pro cull or anti cull this is more about technology that can make a change, that can make it safer for all water users. I remember after the last round of attacks everyone wanted something to be done. Well nothing has been done that will make any difference. This is your opportunity to get out and educate yourself about some serous alternatives to safety

Is it really a good idea regardless of your intent, to put anti cullers and pro cullers in the same room.

Serious question, what has been put in place to prevent this event becoming a sh!t fight?

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jbshack said..

Mark _australia said..

The anti-cull mob lost me completely weeks ago.

It was when the TV news invited people down to Cottelsoe so they could cover the debate.... about 30 pro-cull people showed up and the anti's refused to show up and be interviewed if pro-cull people were there also.
What, too afraid to have a balanced debate?
Then they got about 3000 people there for the typical hysteria rally

Mark to explain that. The TV crew said that they wanted a one on one debate between one surf life saver and one anti cull protester. It was agreed on even though the Anti cull were told they would only get a 30 second reply to the 3 minutes of Pro cull talk. Anyway the pro commentator was from Cott Surf and a email went out to all members asking them to turn up and support their argument. One of the Members was a anti culler and passed the info on and when the TV crew was questioned, they said lets have a in us v's them style argument. The Anti cull side didn't see the value in promoting gutter TV interviews and with drew.. Nothing too cryptic really

Nothing balanced about that..

It was a open forum why did the anti cullers not attend? Or is it that the majority of Cottelsoe is pro cull?

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Legion said..

Why does Eco have a capital E?

None of those approaches except Dave's are proactive.

How does an Eco (sic) shark barrier in Coogee help anyone who surfs? Why is the barrier Eco?

What is Eco (sic) tourism? How does it prevent shark attacks?

How does tagging or spotting help when I surf unnamed-mid-west-coastal-spot? Or unnamed-south-coast-spot?

What is a phone app going to do?

What chemical, electrical, visual deterrents are there and how do they work? If they work, why are they not employed widespread worldwide?

The only chemical deterrent I know is that I would **** my pants right as a shark ate me. Hopefully it leaves him/her with a bad after taste.

Well obviously you don't need attend as you know everything already

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jbshack said..

Legion said..

Why does Eco have a capital E?

None of those approaches except Dave's are proactive.

How does an Eco (sic) shark barrier in Coogee help anyone who surfs? Why is the barrier Eco?

What is Eco (sic) tourism? How does it prevent shark attacks?

How does tagging or spotting help when I surf unnamed-mid-west-coastal-spot? Or unnamed-south-coast-spot?

What is a phone app going to do?

What chemical, electrical, visual deterrents are there and how do they work? If they work, why are they not employed widespread worldwide?

The only chemical deterrent I know is that I would **** my pants right as a shark ate me. Hopefully it leaves him/her with a bad after taste.

Well obviously you don't need attend as you know everything already

^^I've seen a 3m tiger eat another 3m tiger so I would guess that would be yes

Shark Spotters only works in places like Cape Town were you have large mountains overlooking the beaches. What about Natal! They have shark nets stretched along their coast line. I was there for a month surfing, I did not hear one person complain about their shark barriers even though they kill more sea life than the drum lines. Maybe they have bigger things to worry about.

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Toph said..
Serious question, what has been put in place to prevent this event becoming a sh!t fight?

They're deploying drum lines with tofu-baited hooks.

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Toph said..

jbshack said..

Its not about pro cull or anti cull. Its about alternate technology.

I understand that, but there are antagonists in every group, and this one is especially emotionally charged. So has anything been put in place to prevent it??

jbshack said..

[Next year when the Great Whites start to swim by in numbers again, what will our state government have done about making any change? Other than removed even more of the Great Whites food source

I have never rubbished you opinion JB, although I don't share it. If next year when the GWS do their annual swim past and somebody gets taken in a beach that has drum lines, then I'll be amongst the first to admit we got it wrong.

Good luck with the forum though. Although I likely wont be going, I am interested in the surfboard device. It's been 20 years since I've surfed and I really would like to feel comfortable to do it again with my kids in tow....

When dealing with pro cullers face to face people are a lot more civil TBH. Its only from the safety of their keyboards that they are so tough. I have spoken with many pro cullers personally and when shown the facts in person they normally have a much better idea. All my boat demos i head straight to the Mullaloo drum lines and the first thing to freak customers out if how close they are to shore. The second is when you see the operation first hand. As a guy two days ago said, (he was from down south and actually was very pro cull) "it really is just all show". His words. It didn't hurt that the fisheries boat charged up to the lines, swung around and spun of the other direction at well over 20 knots. They must of been late for lunch..The other big argument is that the anti cullers are all greeny style, dole bludgers. Well when they meet the people first hand and see that is not the fact, in fact it couldn't be further from the truth it makes the conversation even easier, as they can see straight up they've been lied to or mislead

The other issue is people talk about the drum lines being in the water next year. That is not a given at all. Its very unlikely that they will be in and if thats the case i will be happy. BUT i will also be very upset that another year has gone by, and our state government has done nothing about addressing the real problem. Fisheries still will spend their money on fast boats and we will just have to cross our fingers we won't be eaten..

See even fisheries is starting to draw some heat Politically for not doing their job correctly over the last few years..

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Legion said..

jbshack said..
I asked it before, did anyone on here go to the Margret River info night last night

Im keen to get a opinion, as the media is pointing to that the majority did not support the drum lines

There has been a few more meetings down south since the first one. They found when not media based locals were very happy to come forward. These meetings have been extremely eye opening and inspiring to date

I actually now think down south their is very little support for the drum lines. Their is defiantly a call for better protection and help but most don't see the drum lines bringing that help..

I grew up in Fremantle, Western Australia. Its beaches, offshore islands and many reefs are my water playground. The lure of the ocean is a powerful thing ? I remember staring into rock pools as a kid fascinated by the little eco systems and watching the animals in there going about their daily lives. I?d take a look out to the open ocean and think if I was so intrigued by a tiny rock pool, imagine what is out there. So in my years growing up, every chance I got I was down at the ocean exploring, diving, fishing, wondering some more and even the odd attempt at surfing (which was an epic fail). Anything ocean, though, and I was there.

When I started working, I started saving. But unlike other 17-year-olds who saved up to buy their first car, I saved up to buy my first dinghy. There was just one problem, though: I needed to tow it. Luckily Dad was nice enough to lend me his old Holden Torana. So armed with 9.9hp and 11 ft of aluminum dinghy, I began to explore the new frontier that awaited me in the offshore world. Going out and bringing home some fish for dinner was my thing, but every time I went out there were so many cool moments: pods of dolphins, seals, birds feeding, stingrays and the odd turtle.

As time went on, the boats got bigger the trips went further out? and the moments got cooler. My first experience with orcas off Freemantle left me in total disbelief. That was my first attempt at trying to get a good picture and a bit of film. So I was on. I loved the ocean and everything in it, but one animal captured my imagination more than anything else: the shark.

It was an animal I rarely came across. I feared it, but like the ocean and all its inhabitants, I respected it. After all, I was guest in his home. It was only after my first real shark interaction that I realized how misunderstood this animal was. When a very large shark took a speared fish from my line, but left me entirely alone (apart from a curious look), I was totally bewildered. I had a lot of unanswered questions from that experience. But one thing was certain: in that moment, I was done with believing the old stories about sharks. This was now something I had to find out for myself.

I wanted to see the shark that everyone talked about most, the Great White. So I ended up in South Africa, where I met a bunch of fantastic people who helped me actually understand sharks instead of basing my beliefs on the far-fetched stories I grew up with. Since that time, I?ve wanted to show people the things I?ve witnessed, the animals I?ve encountered, and how great the ocean is. It can all be seen in my photos. I?ve taken from the ocean, but now it?s my turn to give back.

The decision for the West Australian government to introduce a shark cull has come without scientific research or backing. There are so many unanswered questions. Are there really more sharks out there? What about the attacks? Why did they really occur? Is it a pattern, or just an unfortunate coincidence? There are so many factors to consider about why there are sometimes unfortunate incidents where shark interactions have proved fatal, and the vast majority where they don?t.

A simple so-called ?solution? are the baited drum lines. We?ve seen the WA State Government reacting to a problem. But all we have done is throw large amounts of money to kill and remove a top order animal from an already fragile ecosystem. In my investigations into the cull, I have met a number of top scientists, and none of them believe that shark numbers have significantly increased, or that the cull will help to protect people.

The real problem is that we have chosen not to search for knowledge and understanding regarding sharks, their environment and how we can best share the ocean with them. We know very little about sharks off Perth, and as long as we choose not to know, we never will. There are many alternatives available to co-exist with sharks, and with these and a little bit of our own shark smarts, we can all help to reduce our own risk. I myself would better like to see the funds go to the real life savers ? the surf life saving, police officers, paramedics and the real heroes that protect the public safety day in day out from a range of threats, including sharks, but also the many daily threats that are a much greater risk than sharks. At the end of the day, there will always be sharks in the ocean and there will always be people enjoying the ocean. We need to co-exist.


www.theinertia.com/environment/risk-reduction-why-im-against-the-shark-cull/

Saw half an interesting article the other night but can't remeber the number, just being staggered by it.

So does Anyone know the annual bycatch of the Tuna industry?

Na it was on the ABC, on a show from the chaser guys, they were talking about canned Tuna how it is caught etc and the bycatch of sharks and everything else so just wondered what the actual numbers were.

And the dolphin free label being a myth as where the tuna fishery is there aren't many dolphins anyway.

I just looked on YouTube but couldn't find the segment.