Shark things out of hand in WA

Sorry mate but what a crock of sh!t. How many times do you have to hear from not only marine bioligists, scientific researchers, fisheries officers, commercial fisherman, you name it, that NOBODY knows enough about the GWS to even come close to putting a number of how many exist let alone their behavioural habits. So for you to say GW's are in low numbers is just BS with absolutely no evidence or proven facts to back up your theory.
And personally i'd prefer to be in the water with 100 smaller sharks anyday of the year than just one big fark off white...

someone mentioned to me that the NZ fur seal population has grown significantly. maybe part of the problem.

the sunday times expert says that the breeding problems of a gws is a myth. they give birth to a 1.5m long pup. after two years its 2.5m long. if it survives two years then theres no real natural enemy for it. top of the food chain.

So, if there are heaps of seals, why isn't there a huge population of GWS to suit?

You would think that the population of seals would be kept in check by their predators and the available food sources.

Whales dying from malnutrition? Really? Are you sure? The animals they eat aren't changing, so how are they getting malnourished?

Seals eat about 100kgs of fish a day? Why 100kgs? If this is/were true, and fish stocks reduced, wouldn't the seal numbers also reduce?

So, if there are heaps of seals, why isn't there a huge population of GWS to suit?
Because GWS bread so slowly. That's is the big issue.

You would think that the population of seals would be kept in check by their predators and the available food sources.
That would make sense if shark numbers could keep up but they can't. Not all animals bread at the same rate.

Whales dying from malnutrition? Really? Are you sure? The animals they eat aren't changing, so how are they getting malnourished?
Yes im sure. Reports are popping up daily if you watch the correct sites.

Seals eat about 100kgs of fish a day? Why 100kgs? If this is/were true, and fish stocks reduced, wouldn't the seal numbers also reduce?
Why do they eat that much i don't know. I guess there hungry. Yes eventually they will run out of food. But it will take some time for that to happen. But in the mean while you have a out of balance. In SA NZ fur seals are now killing of all the penguins. In fact SA fisheries are already trying to solve that problem. Visited the back side of Rottnest lately. Seen the seen population and its growth in the last 2 years? Eagle bay was a family haunt for me for over 20 years but i will no longer even swim there.


Have you seen more seals in the water surfing?

Would be nice for a level headed fisheries fella to comment on this(you know who you are), knowing history, breeding, movement and increase in numbers etc etc.

So i have been told if GWS has a big feed very unlikely to surface again anytime soon and could be weeks for its eats again, therefore chances of killing the offender=almost immposible and they eat whatever they can.

Think that sums it up really. Mammals in a marine environment are on the menu. Funny how people get all bent out of shape when the realise that they are not on top of the food chain any more.

Definitely out of control. A full on cull to push them right back to the brink of extinction would be ideal. I honestly can't see anyone missing them. It's not like people would go: "Gee remember the good old days when people got killed by sharks?" No, no one would miss them. Should be open season for every boat angler with a bounty.

Only a few panda?

Hopefully you've determined the fat content before going in for a chew and you didn't exhaust to much energy during the catch.

They wont hunt them for that, they will just bash people with a sharktooth necklace

I've said it before and i'll say it again we need to send in the Daleks

jbhack, your argument doesn't make sense, and it looks to be largely self defeating.
If "seal numbers are increasing at an alarming rate", why on earth are GW sharks eating people???
Seals are their main diet so logically you would expect if there are very few GW sharks and lots of seals, the sharks would not bother with eating people.

AS for the "knee jerk reaction" we've had 5 people eaten in ther last year and what have we done about it? SWEET F. A.
Oh, except for giving fisheries another umpteen million to 'manage the problem" and umpteen more million to anyone who can come up with a convincing reason why the government should give it to them to help with "the problem".
What a waste of public money!
After 12 months delay and all that money wasted, our illustrious minister for fisheries says he doesn't understand what's causing the problem.
Gee. That was money well spent then.
Why did they spend any of it when for no cost at all, our very own company malamute has clearly and succintly stated the most obvious solution right here in this thread.

"Killing 3-5 large sharks isnt going to change the ecosystem, but is it going to help the current situation "
Now I know dogs are smart but gee, you wouldn't think everyone else would be so far behind.

It's a sorry indictment on the present human condition that in this day and age we seem to have completely abandoned the very asset which let us survive a hundred thousand years of the evolutionary process. And that is, if something attacks us then we attack back. If something is trying to kill us then we kill it first.

What do we do now?
Oh well, first off we form a committee and try to think up every possible explanation for the problem and solution for same, and then we proceed by trying out the most expensive and least likely to succeed solution, such as flying helicopters up and down the coast at a thousand dollars an hour, and as each solution fails in turn, we work our way back up the list until we come back to the cheapest and most obvious solution which we should have tried in the first place. And maybe, just maybe we will will reluctantly give that a try.

The solution we should have tried first up, over 10 years ago is, if a shark eats someone then hop out there, catch it and get rid of it. It's worked for thousands of years. Nothing has changed in nature that would make it not work again.
There are not dozens of man eating sharks attacking us. There are only one or two, probably old and/or sick and unable to catch anything more agile than a diver or surfer sitting on a board.
So, as the malamute says,
"Killing 3-5 large sharks isnt going to change the ecosystem, but is it going to help the current situation "
Yes it is.
Good dog.

Listen people, I can not applaud your intelligence enough. The support for a cull is fantastic! This is our opportunity. I don't believe there has been a more serious topic ever discussed on these forums. In the past we've had people writing letters to politicians to condemn / support a shark cull. This is our chance to make ourselves heard. I've written to Colin Barnett twice before but I think this time we might have more support. Make sure your voice is heard.

In my letters to the premier, I have outlined:
1) The Australian lifestyle is at risk (water sports and beach time)
2) The value of human life and how much we care about our family

Make sure you state how proud you are to be Australian and how much this beautiful country means to you. State how much our way of life should be preserved and protected and the value of our loved ones.

I'll try to get the contact details and drum up more support.

your out of your tree mate, people happily go to the zoo to see dangerous animals, albeit behind steel bars yet expect to go into the sharks natural habitat with expectation that you are absolutely safe....rethink it dude....haven't put the shark in the cage yet!!!!