Richard Branson, voice of reason?

Most of you are aware of the recent "shark cull" policy enacted in Western Australia. Since they actually started to use baited drum-lines, there has been a public outcry to stop the killing of the sharks. Many argue the the drum lines indiscriminately kill, not only large Great White - and Tiger-Sharks, but smaller sharks and different species of sharks as well. Some even suggest that the sharks and other animals that are caught in the lines are attracting other predators, essentially acting as chum.

In 13 years of diving with Great White Sharks at Isla Guadalupe, I have observed that the smaller sharks are actually more inquisitive than the larger individuals and are likely more apt to bite something in order to investigate what it is. So even if the drum-lines would only catch the large sharks it intends to, we have to ask ourselves, are we even trying to catch the sharks that are most likely to bite a human?

Here is the problem with the approach with us shark experts and conservationists. We look at the problem from a shark related perspective. There is nothing wrong with that, but we have to address the real reason the shark cull was started.

Sir Richard Branson, foto wildaid.org

Since Western Australian premier, Colin Barnett, has indicated that his goal is to protect a way of life and the tourism industry, I think that Richard Branson, head of the Virgin Group, has a better approach. In this article he is quoted as saying, "I'm sure one of the reasons he [Western Australia Premier Colin Barnett] did it was because he was thinking it would encourage tourism. It's going to do quite the reverse, I think. You're advertising a problem that doesn't exist in a major way and you're deterring people from wanting to come to Perth and your beautiful countryside around it. All you're going to achieve, I think, is to worry people unnecessarily."

I believe that Richard Branson knows a thing or two about tourism and promotion. Hopefully premier Colin Barnett will listen to his voice of reason, if not for the sake of the sharks, then for purely economic reasons, to protect the way of life and the tourist industry of Western Australia.

 
Cheers,
Martin Graf
CEO
Shark Diver


About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.

Sharks Australia-'Hypocritical' over great whites

Image:Luke Sorensen

As we reported yesterday a 2.3 meter great white washed up on Mermaid Beach, Australia attached to some serious shark killing gear. What we had hoped was a "rouge fishing event" turned out to be a longstanding government planned policy to eradicate predatory sharks along the coastline. That effort killed two animals at this site this week (click for images):

The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) has accused the Queensland Government of being hypocritical for protecting great white sharks and also setting drum lines for them.

Two juvenile great whites - both more than two metres long - were killed on baited drum lines off Gold Coast beaches last week. The AMCS's Craig Bohm says great whites are endangered, but 12 have been killed on the coast in five years.

Editors Note: As a commercial shark diving company we're outraged at this senseless slaughter off the coasts of Queensland, Australia. In the coming days we will supply you with the email and phone numbers of the agencies involved with the shark eradication drumlines in the region. Don't bother sending in another shark petition, they are not effective. Direct and personal emails and phone calls are effective, and we'll be on this one for a while now. Policies from the 1970's in regards to shark eradication have no place in today's oceans.

Australia's Tiger Shark Disaster

Tony Ham is happy about it. Vik Hislop is happy about it, and even Queensland Tourism is happy about it.

For Australia when 11 Tigers are killed by nets and drumlines along the Sunshine Coast the media calls it a good thing.

We have long pointed out that nets and drum lines are a 1950's answer to a modern issue of shark conservation.

4 meter Tigers represent breeding populations and their deaths are no cause for celebration.

The only thing in the way of lasting conservation change with drum lines and nets is the will power of local and regional users to demand it.

We know sharks are being taken by these man made, indiscriminate killers, but what is being done about it?

We'll be the first to support any program that offers regional metrics for success and not just the usual rounds of blog posts and Facebook petitions. As far as shark conservation goes there's little time for "awareness" we have now moved into the "decade of action."

Surely there has to be someone on the Sunshine Coast that would like to see an end to the glorification of regional and unnecessary shark slaughters?

Australia's Tourism "Shark Holocaust"

Australia's Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries, Tim Mulherin, believes in anti shark programs for tourism.

This week it was announced Australia's long standing drum line program had successfully killed 500 breeding aged animals from 14 foot Great whites to 12 foot Tigers.

All in the name of tourism and "incident free beaches."

"Any size shark can cause serious injury or death if they attack. However, sharks more than 2m long are particularly dangerous and are more likely to cause fatal injuries, he said."

Drum lines and shark nets are a surprising 1960's answer to shark attacks worldwide and indiscriminately destroy regional populations of sharks and assorted by catch from dolphins to turtles.

Sadly there are viable options for regional governments that would work to preserve shark populations.

This blog proposed viable "human netting options"
many months ago along with a first alert tagging program.

In the end it is up to regional efforts lead by local stakeholders to effect conservation change.

Until the public is made aware of the abject waste of top predators in their waters the killing will continue and future shark generation will continue to decline.

It would seem that sharks in Australia just cannot seem to get a break. An ecological disaster in the making since 1963.

Australia's "Shark Stone Age"

After months of public pressure authorities in Australia have decided to leave shark nets in place citing safety concerns yet again.

Shark nets and drum lines kill sharks indiscriminately along the Gold Coast and there are viable and alternate solutions:

Shark nets along the Gold Coast will not be removed, despite yet another young whale being caught in a net off Burleigh Heads on Tuesday - the fifth so far this migration season.

It took just an hour to free the seven-metre juvenile, which shark control program manager Tony Ham said was probably one of last year's calves.

"This animal was calm and quiet, even though it was windy and conditions were difficult, so that helped the release," he said.

"Happily the mother was there to keep an eye on the young whale, and that usually gives them an opportunity to calm down... so that's usually a good thing for us."Mr Ham said despite the number of young whales being tangled up this season, the shark nets will not be removed.

In fact the damaged net off Burleigh will be replaced before the end of the day.

Mr Ham denied the shark nets are being maintained simply because of political pressure and said their value in stopping shark attacks is well documented.

"The program has been in place since 1962 and in that time we've had one fatal attack on a protected beach, at North Stradbroke island in 2006," he said."There were a number of attacks prior to the program going in - some of those were pretty horrific and fatal.

"We believe the program does work."It does catch sharks and it does catch dangerous sharks (so) to remove the nets even for the whale migration season is not an option."Mr Ham said the argument that not many people swam in the surf during the migration season was simply wrong.

"We have people bathing on Gold Coast beaches year round," he said.

"People come to Queensland for the very reason that we have safe swimming beaches.
"He said it was "unacceptable" to remove the safety equipment, particularly with school holidays coming up.

Complete Story

Aussie Gold Coast Madness-Kill Sharks

With the recent fatal attack off the coast of Australia last week, age old "voices of vengeance" are calling for a return to 70's style shark hunts or "culling" of sharks.

This quite naturally is madness on a scale that would devastate the shark populations off the coast.

The image featured in this article is from a Tiger shark said to have been caught recently by the fishermen in the picture. One more magnificent shark reduced to a set of jaws.

A LEADING fishing expert believes northern NSW needs to introduce a shark control program similar to the Gold Coast to reduce the number of the deadly predators in the area's waters.

Gold Coast Bulletin and Channel 9 fishing expert Paul Burt last night said without a shark control program, 'the sharks were free to come and go as they like.' "Our guy catches quiet a few sharks when they are running which is eradicating the problem, which is why we don't get as many attacks," he said.

The call for northern NSW to introduce a shark control program, like the Coast's nets and drum lines, comes after 16-year-old Peter Edmonds was fatally attacked by what experts believe was a bull shark while body boarding at Lighthouse Beach at Ballina yesterday.