Northern NSW

Heaps of light at that time of the day JB and those guys go through boards like Lacey a new one every couple of weeks.

Again.


if a shark hangs around and bothers people.

Its got to go.

Thats not like the clubbles chasing off a shark.

But if the shark that keeps coming back. Bang

Thats not a cull. That just sensible.

Something that went out the window years ago.

If that had happen down in tassie this year that diver wouldnt be dead because thats what it did for a week- hassle people.

I disagree with any systematic removal of sharks.


However, I recently read a book called "The Unnatural History of the Sea". He does a meta analysis of reports going back a thousand years as he looks at the collapse of fishery after fishery. One of the interesting things is it appears all Sharks were bigger and more numerous many years ago. A six metre white would have been relatively small. Ten metres was not uncommon. This based on many anecdotal observations of sailors in old sailing boats. Through the removal of the largest sharks over several centuries we have reduced their numbers markedly, and stunted the population. Sailors who fell in the water a half Millenia ago were frequently eaten quick.

So it's safer than what it was, but is perhaps less safe than thirty years ago when it was a free for all.

Interestingly, he talks about how, as fisheries decline, people adjust to a new normal. The "when I was a kid there were more fish" thing. Not that it's inaccurate, but that they were already drastically altered fisheries.

So, yes, killing them all in an area does reduce the problem for a while, but he also comments on the spillover from unfished areas. It wouldn't just be enough to man the Ballina wall. To really make a difference the cull would have to extend for tens, possibly 100 of kms.

Anyway, leave them alone. If you live in a sharky area, surf smart.

No offence to anyone.
But why do threads like this turn into who's got the highest iq competitions

Ive got a theory we have always surfed pretty close to shore surfing the occasional reef break out a bit wide. I think all these attacks in the last few years correlates with the emergence and popularity of the downwind Suppers splashing and falling off their boards out wide attracting the attention of the GWS and bringing them in from the depths

LL - I wrote you a long response on the ferry this morning on the way in to the big smoke but sadly i lost it and ran out of time to re-type it in. Anyway the jist of what I was trying to say was that across Australia there has been a move to create more resilient societies in recent years. In essence the thought process behind this stems from the reality that Govt can not afford to be there at all times for all people. Its just impossible. So instead there is a shift towards shared responsibility - where governments, communities, businesses and individuals work together for the betterment of all - it can not just be the sole responsibility of govt to provide these services - we need to work together to achieve this. I can not disagree with this sentiment. But this will be an evolving process. It will not happen over night.

So how does this all fit in for us as surfers? Well i think its pretty straight forward.There will never be aeril beach monitoring or shark nets across all beaches on the east coast. Fact and reality. As SP said - choose where and when you surf. Take some precautions - as you are trying to doing with your surfsafe. People who use the excuse that they can not afford a surfsafe with every new board may need to think through that defence - how cheap is your life? How often do you really need a new board? Why can they not produce a multi board surfsafe? Maybe they need some investment to help with the technology change? Get on the phone and have a chat - maybe there is an opportunity to be safer and share in the bounty. Adaptation is an interesting word that is often battered round - we do it all the time in other parts of our lives - why not surfing? Maybe regulation is needed? It works well in some parts of our lives - maybe we need some form of policy response to change behaviour? Think about how demerit points and large fines influence driver behaviour re seat belts. But other times - eg mobile phones (how often do you still see people texting and talking on phones while driving - despite the laws) - these types of policy responses do not seem to work all the time. Different strokes for different folks. I am not trying to endorse what the policy response should be here. Just pointing out that its very complicated and involved.

Life is about balance in the democracy that we live in - we do not want to be told what to do - and at other times it seems if we are not told we would never (generalisation I know) as society do it. Other times a joint response where the community is involved in the decision making process is warranted and needs to be explored. We also need to realise that other people see risks very different to you and me. Risk communication and perception is one crazy space to work in I tell ya. But as a builder you see this everyday. On one hand you are balancing regulation against clients demands against your profit margin. An interesting balancing act. And lets not forget about the fact that some people do not really care about the decisions you have make as a surfer to enter the water - when you could be doing something far more productive in their eyes. These types also have a voice. And lets not forget about the communities who are directly impacted - by either the loss of life of a special person close to them or a business suffering as a result of what seems like a step-change in the event set.

So what role does the Govt play here?

Is there room for balance? I believe so. Should we be involved in the discussion? Absolutely. Should we embrace change? I think we are silly if we do not (not all will agree with this though).

I believe that the Govt should be getting behind / embracing some of these ideas about fending off the big evil that is annoying us. But lets do it sensibly. Lets not rush in and do something really harsh. Lets think about all the options and make some decent decisions based on fact and not emotion. And whilst we are doing this lets try and not forget in-equality issues at the same time. There is room for lots of possible solutions - and perhaps the ultimate endgame might be a range of solutions. Govt has a big role to play - but we as individuals also need to play our part as well and take some responsibility.

Anyway enough of a rant.