sharks

[elfie]

Possibly controversal post but hey ...

Just hoping for people thoughts not a bashing for posting

Tragically another fatal shark attack in WA. Sympathies to the family for their loss - genuine - loss of life for any family is sad. This incident tragic - thoughts with the family. But people sharks are in the sea. They do not have cloaks of invisibility walk on land making random attacks. We know they are there folks. People make choices to swim surf kayak ect. Weighing up the risks each individual makes a choice. Are shark attacks more frequent? Could it be that more people going in the sea. Could there be an enviromental factor behind increased attacks? Will we ever know?

Just hoping for a discussion on folks.

Stay safe out there people

[ali]

Very sad indeed Elfie, there are great risks to swimming in the ocean. sharks aren't domesticated animals who suddenly turn, they're wild animals and we enter their domain and become pray.

[Rossmoyne]

I agree @elfie. So very sad for the family, but surely they considered the risks before surfing, especially at that beach where sharks are sighted often and there has been another attack recently.

 

Meanwhile, for the first time in 26 years of living in Australia, this year I have not swum in the sea at all and only walked on the beach a few times. I normally go to the dog beach at Port Kennedy, but nearly every day through summer, there were shark sightings in the whole Warnbro Sound bay and I preferred to stay away. The friends I dog walk with live in PK overlooking the ocean, and this year is the first year they have not swum at all in the ocean..... normally they swim at least once a day, and they are now looking at installing a pool.

 

On the news last night (can't remember which channel), the reporter interviewed one of the major local fishermen from Esperance, and he said that since sharks became a protected species some years back, fishermen were not allowed to catch them anymore and the shark population had exploded. The fishermen said that he and many others in the profession were calling strongly for a shark cull, and had been for a few years, but the government refused to discuss the issue. Perhaps Mr McGowan is the man to open that discussion?

 

The threat of shark attacks is very big and very real, and whilst it is the shark's territory, and I respect that so don't venture in there any more, perhaps some studies should be done about the whole ecology of fish levels in our surrounding oceans. I hadn't given any thought to that side of things until I heard the interview with the fisherman last night where he questioned if the increase in sharks was the reason so many smaller fish were becoming harder to find as they were being eaten out, and is that why the sharks were coming closer to shore to find food. Interesting view.

[verystormy]

I agree @elfie. So very sad for the family, but surely they considered the risks before surfing, especially at that beach where sharks are sighted often and there has been another attack recently.

 

Meanwhile, for the first time in 26 years of living in Australia, this year I have not swum in the sea at all and only walked on the beach a few times. I normally go to the dog beach at Port Kennedy, but nearly every day through summer, there were shark sightings in the whole Warnbro Sound bay and I preferred to stay away. The friends I dog walk with live in PK overlooking the ocean, and this year is the first year they have not swum at all in the ocean..... normally they swim at least once a day, and they are now looking at installing a pool.

 

On the news last night (can't remember which channel), the reporter interviewed one of the major local fishermen from Esperance, and he said that since sharks became a protected species some years back, fishermen were not allowed to catch them anymore and the shark population had exploded. The fishermen said that he and many others in the profession were calling strongly for a shark cull, and had been for a few years, but the government refused to discuss the issue. Perhaps Mr McGowan is the man to open that discussion?

 

The threat of shark attacks is very big and very real, and whilst it is the shark's territory, and I respect that so don't venture in there any more, perhaps some studies should be done about the whole ecology of fish levels in our surrounding oceans. I hadn't given any thought to that side of things until I heard the interview with the fisherman last night where he questioned if the increase in sharks was the reason so many smaller fish were becoming harder to find as they were being eaten out, and is that why the sharks were coming closer to shore to find food. Interesting view.

 

The calls for shark culls are senseless.

 

The largest predators are the tiger shark and the great white. There are major studies on both and lots of ongoing work. What we know is that the Great White is a fish which operates a very big and broad migratory path. The path seems to operate in Australian waters down the west coast, but mainly in deep sea until getting closer to the south west, where it heads closer in land. They then stay close to shore all the way round the south of Oz and up to about Sydney, before heading back to deep mid ocean water. The Tiger shark is a true ocean wander which moves in and out of deep mid ocean water. Both are still critically endangered and there are ongoing negative effects being seen in the rest of the oceanic systems by having such A1 predators reduced by man.

 

What we need is a better education for people. Yes, there are risks in going in the water, but, these risks can be minimised. But many ignore them. For example, there were two attacks near where we lived. In both cases the person was in the water towards sunset, there were lots of baitfish in the water and water was cool.

[abc]

The fisherman on the news has no proof of an increase in shark numbers, so to claim the number has doubled is ludicrous, he's just pissed off because he's not allowed to catch them!

 

We should never interfere with nature, they are the Apex predator & keep balance in the seas. Quite simple really.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[elfie]

The fisherman on the news has no proof of an increase in shark numbers, so to claim the number has doubled is ludicrous, he's just pissed off because he's not allowed to catch them!

 

We should never interfere with nature, they are the Apex predator & keep balance in the seas. Quite simple really.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Here here. Getting rid or drasticallyreducing one species will have an adverse ecological effect

[FOL]

I am a keen surfer and am against a shark cull. It shouldn't even be considered as studies have shown it doezn't work. It is just a political statement costing animals lives, it is sad.

 

However, I hate the argument "you enter their territory" BS. Why does no one say that when someone gets bitten by a snake? Don't say "because we live on land"

[Wombat Girl]

On 19/04/2017 at 14:26, Rossmoyne said:

I agree @elfie. So very sad for the family, but surely they considered the risks before surfing, especially at that beach where sharks are sighted often and there has been another attack recently.

 

Meanwhile, for the first time in 26 years of living in Australia, this year I have not swum in the sea at all and only walked on the beach a few times. I normally go to the dog beach at Port Kennedy, but nearly every day through summer, there were shark sightings in the whole Warnbro Sound bay and I preferred to stay away. The friends I dog walk with live in PK overlooking the ocean, and this year is the first year they have not swum at all in the ocean..... normally they swim at least once a day, and they are now looking at installing a pool.

 

On the news last night (can't remember which channel), the reporter interviewed one of the major local fishermen from Esperance, and he said that since sharks became a protected species some years back, fishermen were not allowed to catch them anymore and the shark population had exploded. The fishermen said that he and many others in the profession were calling strongly for a shark cull, and had been for a few years, but the government refused to discuss the issue. Perhaps Mr McGowan is the man to open that discussion?

 

The threat of shark attacks is very big and very real, and whilst it is the shark's territory, and I respect that so don't venture in there any more, perhaps some studies should be done about the whole ecology of fish levels in our surrounding oceans. I hadn't given any thought to that side of things until I heard the interview with the fisherman last night where he questioned if the increase in sharks was the reason so many smaller fish were becoming harder to find as they were being eaten out, and is that why the sharks were coming closer to shore to find food. Interesting view.

This may sound dumb but why would they come closer to shore to find food when fish are usually found in deeper waters? Unless of course they're specifically hunting humans... ?

 

Personally when we move to Perth I won't be letting my kids swim outside of shallow water so unless shark nets are in place - which of course restricts us to Falcon, Coogee, Sorrento or Quinn's.

[Rossmoyne]

On 05/07/2017 at 18:37, Wombat Girl said:

This may sound dumb but why would they come closer to shore to find food when fish are usually found in deeper waters? Unless of course they're specifically hunting humans... ?

 

Personally when we move to Perth I won't be letting my kids swim outside of shallow water so unless shark nets are in place - which of course restricts us to Falcon, Coogee, Sorrento or Quinn's.

I don't know the answer to your question, but I assume it is overfishing depleting the fish supply and/or an increase in sharks as it is illegal to kill them.