At the end of the day, nothing beats removing problem sharks to reduce frequency of unwanted incidents & as people have pointed out. The controverisal WA drumline cull, although carried out at the wrong time of year, using the incorrect fishing tackle for GW & ending prematurely did have a positive effect on the frequency of negative human/shark interation. The last 5 weeks have seen a great deal of near misses, a few more bumps happened than documented in WA & I guess coz no one lost a leg & no one died its not a big deal.
We've had these shark threads so often, I'm tired of them. I grew up in a time when fear of shark attack was way off the beaten track and rare. Times have changed greatly. Its ridiculous to argue removing great white shark protection effects ecology when the protection itself effects ecology. Great white shark behaviour has changed over the last couple of decades because our behaviour, our response to these creatures has changed. In 1998 GW were protected & at about the same time the great Australian gun buy back sceme was in effect after Martin Bryant shot people in Tassie. Gun control laws changed, making it far more difficult for commercial fishermen to carry guns on their boats. In the past you did not have a shark circling your boat & you certainly did not have it chewing up your prop. You shot the barstard & sharks knew to stay away. They learnt as previously stated (learnt behaviours) to swim away in the opposite direction. They are now attracted as evidenced by countless fishermen. Want some fancy wanky Uni research reports, nope sorry not backing the required narative these days to meet the required research finding...yet, here we are...all seeing a greater number with our own eyes & a greater number of people dieing from GW sharks. A massive increase compared to the 80's & 90's, before human interaction messed with ecology by protecting GW's.
We have also stopped fishing whales & seals. Somehow these creatures have been put on a revered pedestal of untouchable greatness based upon being propped up as being in danger & now when the facts are plain to see we are still not responding responsively. What makes these animals any different to any others than the perceived viable worldwide number.
In the recent past a great deal of facts/research was collated from our fishermen. People who had a far greater understanding of our oceans than some greeny university student who's work was based on rewording the words of another just as clueless researcher. The same people (fishermen)s opinions on great white shark numbers are now being ignored when it was their input in the past which helped protect the species....why? I believe for the simple reason requiring more "research" provides these people with a job they enjoy & probably the almighty politically correct social justice warrior tag which is currently destroying the strength of Western society. Alarms have rung, its far past the time to wake up. But it is not too late.
Jay Davies
Before paddling out for a four-hour session, Jay let us into his headspace on the issue of sharks: "They've always been here. If you're scared of sharks, don't go surfing. And if you start thinking of sharks, go the **** in."
stabmag.com/stabcinema/no-contest-margaret-river-cancellations-shark-hysteria-pathetic-aussie-impersonations-and-jay-davies-tube-fests/
Greetings all,
I am pro fishing. Catch and kill, anyway that doesn't seem very likely in the near future.
The closest we will get is these smart drum lines if at all.
Anyway there are buses organised from Margie's grace town and I think yallingup to get up to Perth and have a good old fashioned protest.
This is as good as we may get, I'm going along to have a listen.
Apparently one of the lads has half a dozen gummy sharks he will be cooking up on a barbie.
Get involved
This is the report
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3941575/
high correlation between increase in shark attacks and whale population increase (0.9) . almost no correlation between west australian ocean based activity or state population growth (0.2)
RAzz im over bothering discussing sharks on SB, one thing that is so clear is some people have zero idea..
But for the last time, i have never claimed to love sharks, im just a realist who understands that somethings can't be changed..
Good luck with it..
You post this in the other shark thread JB yet here you are.
I have got to say its good to see that JB is annoying a whole new generation of surfers????
I used to care when i read BS now i do not