Western Australia: Shark Attack Central

[LeeToRainesToRoach]

A MAN has been killed by a shark while diving off a Western Australian beach this morning.

A WA Police spokeswoman said the man had been diving off Port Geographe Marina, near Busselton, shortly before 9.30am WA time.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/shark-kills-diver/story-e6frf7jo-1226315177173

The 'green' angle will be wearing very thin with a lot of people in WA. What can be done?

 

[Rosy]

Maybe keep out of the shark's habitat. We have a beautiful walking track along our creek. We've planted thousands of trees along it. Very calm and restful place to be. It's also riddled with tiger snakes. Some have suggested hunting them down and killing them. Is that the kind of thing you refer to with the green angle wearing thin L2? I prefer to respect it's their right to be there and keep away. (As an aside- my husband stepped out of his ute and onto a tiger snake down the creek a couple of days ago. Yikes!)

 

[LeeToRainesToRoach]

Maybe keep out of the shark's habitat. We have a beautiful walking track along our creek. We've planted thousands of trees along it. Very calm and restful place to be. It's also riddled with tiger snakes. Some have suggested hunting them down and killing them. Is that the kind of thing you refer to with the green angle wearing thin L2? I prefer to respect it's their right to be there and keep away. (As an aside- my husband stepped out of his ute and onto a tiger snake down the creek a couple of days ago. Yikes!)

Personally I think the possibility of being taken is part of an unwritten contract you agree to when you enter the water. But not everyone shares the same fascination with sharks. I've noted the anger in reader comments after deaths - long before the recent spate of attacks, back to when Ken Crew was killed in 2000 - and reckon this might bring things to a head.

 

[Rosy]

There's always a backlash after a tragedy. Similar for calls to cancel lifesaving carnivals after the horrible deaths. I can't see what they could do about sharks anyway. It's impractical to fence our coastline. They could kill dozens of sharks but it wouldn't guarantee another one wouldn't show up and kill someone. It might even lull people into a false sense of security and cause them to be less vigilant.

 

[LeeToRainesToRoach]

Four attack since September, though? And all fatal? A backlash wouldn't be surprising.

I don't know what they can do, either.

 

[Rosy]

Depends what the backlash is. If they are aware of a particular shark doing the killing then I doubt too many would object to turning it into flake but random culling of sharks would no way guarantee there wouldn't be a 5th death.

 

[LeeToRainesToRoach]

Depends what the backlash is. If they are aware of a particular shark doing the killing then I doubt too many would object to turning it into flake but random culling of sharks would no way guarantee there wouldn't be a 5th death.

Commercial fishing of all sharks is already banned in WA, and the great white is of course protected from all fishing. Not that I necessarily believe it, but some have suggested there is too much competition among sharks for food.

10% of the country's population providing 100% of human shark food...not good for tourism among other things.

 

[Joe Lynn Turnip]

When they start attacking us in our natural habitats, then start culling them. As far as I'm concerned, the only thing most victims of shark attacks deserve are Darwin Award nominations.

 

[Tigers of Old]

Four attack since September, though? And all fatal? A backlash wouldn't be surprising.

How many car fatalities?

 

[Streak]

I live in WA, in fact in Albany, where there are some mighty big sharks floating around, particularly great whites and hammerheads. The locals say it is a legacy of our whaling industry that there are so many big sharks down here. there are some impressive photos of blokes in boats shooting sharks with rifles to protect whale carcasses as they are brought in for processing.

I go fishing all the time, out in the boat, playing in the surf with the kids etc. etc. Doesn't bother me in the slightest. Have lots of mates who go diving, collecting abalone etc. and they just accept it.

Have always believed that we shouldn't upset the balance of things in nature.

Not trying to make a point here, just my view on things.

 

[LeeToRainesToRoach]

How many car fatalities?

That argument gets thrown up a lot. How many man hours on the road v how many in the sea?

In any case, if four of the world's last eight fatalities occurring in WA's southwest corner doesn't indicate a problem, it's at least a striking statistical anomaly.

 

[Tigers of Old]

That argument gets thrown up a lot. How many man hours on the road v how many in the sea?

No idea. You've usually got all the stats L2R.

I would imagine that shark attack is still a very small percentage of accidental death fatalities.

 

[Streak]

No idea. You've usually got all the stats L2R.

I would imagine that shark attack is still a very small percentage of accidental death fatalities.

I'm pretty sure more people get killed by lightning each year Australia wide than by shark attacks.

But I think L2r2r does make a point. We have seen what appears to be on the surface an unusually high number of attacks, concentrated on a relatively small (albeit well used) section of WA coast line.

 

[Tigers of Old]

But I think L2r2r does make a point. We have seen what appears to be on the surface an unusually high number of attacks, concentrated on a relatively small (albeit well used) section of WA coast line.

In that case the simplest thing is to stay out of the water or at least take extreme caution.
Signs should be erected in these danger areas in much the same way they as they are around rivers for crocodiles.
Enter at your own risk.

 

[Streak]

In that case the simplest thing is to stay out of the water or at least take extreme caution.
Signs should be erected in these danger areas in much the same way they as they are around rivers for crocodiles.
Enter at your own risk.

Yeah, I agree, enter at your own risk applies IMO.

 

[Baloo]

Tasty fins

 

[LeeToRainesToRoach]

Rory McAuley, senior shark researcher with the Department of Fisheries, said..."This is an unprecedented series of tragedies we've experienced over the last two years now. I'm not aware of any series of fatal shark attacks of this number anywhere in the world."
...
His death has created division among ocean lovers in WA's southwest. Mr MacDonald said some people previously against the culling of sharks now wanted the shark responsible killed.
...
Busselton Mayor Ian Stubbs said the spike in attacks was affecting tourism, with visitors reluctant to swim, and called for sharks to be killed when they were close to shore, regardless of whether they tried to attack.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/friend-says-weekend-shark-victim-laughed-off-risk-of-attack/story-e6frg6nf-1226315901299

"They were both descending down the anchor rope to the dive site and Peter was in front of Gian and apparently it came out of nowhere and grabbed him."

This doesn't gel with the theory that's become popular - that sharks mistake us for seals when viewed from below.

 

[Tigers of Old]

From that same article..

Mr MacDonald said while Mr Kurmann had thought an attack was unlikely, he knew the risks. "He said it was their ocean, we're just merely visitors."

He said: 'What's your chances of getting attacked by a white pointer in the bay?' There's never been a diver taken in Geographe Bay and now we're eating our words."

Never been a diver taken in the bay until now? I would say it's an extremely rare and highly unfortunate event.

 

[Rosy]

This doesn't gel with the theory that's become popular - that sharks mistake us for seals when viewed from below.

I don't think this incident makes any difference to that theory. It's not suggested that mistaking us for seals when viewed from above is the only way sharks attack humans.

 

[LeeToRainesToRoach]

Never been a diver taken in the bay until now? I would say it's an extremely rare and highly unfortunate event.

All shark attacks are, which is why a string of such events has raised eyebrows around the world. Maybe it can be written off as "a bad year", maybe not.