First kill order issued for WA shark
I disagree craigo..in Queensland if a dingo attacks a child they go after a dingo..whose to say that they kill the right one? In the Territory same with a croc.In Africa with lions..Why should the shark be any different? Why should they be treated as special or untouchable? We keep saying they are an intelligent species but they can't tell a human from a fish? doesn't seem that smart to me.
As you stated 'a shark hanging around' in west oz, with theie track record at the moment seems completely logical.
Barley, your response seems to assume that they are right in going after the dingo/croc/lion. I contend that this is not necessarily the case.
With 7 billion of us roaming the globe and making a bloody mess of it in the process, is a human life really more valuable than these other apex predators?
Discuss...
What do you think surf starved? conversing on a human invented internet while sipping a cup of coffee, sitting on a chair in a house. Do you not believe we were created as the dominate specie in this world. You make the assumption that the kill order is for every shark seen in every ocean or 3000k radius of the vacinity. I am sure the order has specific location regulations on it. I am just saying if you have a problem in an area fix it. Maybe they wont find it. Maybe people see a shark kill 3 people in 3 days in the same area. Maybe it is not the same shark that kills all 3 but it would just be common sense to eradicate the problem and maybe's
A computer linked to the internet and a cup of coffee are definitely a luxury only a human, and a relatively privileged on at that, can enjoy. But is it evidence that we were created as the dominant species on this planet?
Created... now there's a can of worms I don't want to get into.
What leads you to believe that I'm assuming the kill order has such broad scope? Nothing I've said would support your claim, nor was it implied. I understand that it was for a certain shark or two, in a very limited area, but I still don't think it's right. It's their backyard too. What right do we have, other than the right of might, to enforce where a shark can and can't swim?
Just cos we can, doesn't necessarily mean we should.
On your first comments Barley, Great Whites are as surfstarved stated "Apex predators" and if we start destroying them we'll make irreversible changes to the food chain that will filter right down the line.
If they somehow evolved and started to come onto land and killing people then sure, I would be all for culling them, but we are entering their territory and environment for our pleasure, and to cull them is simply selfish.
It's a risk we all take (orders of magnitude less than getting in a car each day) and the only sensible way to treat the problem to me is through further research/tagging and scientific study.
While I respectfully listen to your opinions @surfstarvd and@Craig I also respectfully disagree. Which is a wonderful freedom we have in this great country of ours.
@ craig..so you would kill sharks if they were on land? thats interesting...
Also you are assuming GW extinction would only have negative impacts on the food chain? We may find out oneday, as we all may meet our end.
It just seems that when the idea of a shark cull is made for some reason, all of a sudden people feel the need to start jumping up and down.
Like 'don't touch the precious shark!'
What would be your choice if it came down to you or the shark?
Have fun this weekend Craig..and legs up!!
Maybe a bit of topic, but i lived and worked at Fraser island for a while (great fishing crap waves) and up there they cull dingos like there going out of fashion, not just after an attack, the ranger would drop by almost weekly especially during high tourist times and ask about certain dingos and if i wanted one killed which i didn't, i could easily give info to suggest it was aggressive or a nuisance, sadly people that own tourism business up there get paranoid, and are scared of a potential of an attack that brings bad publicity and hits tourism numbers, hence they give info that is exaggerate to rangers that results in dingos getting killed, (mostly pups), if most people knew how many dingos got culled up there they would be horrified.
They also do sneaky tactics to get the population at numbers they see as ideal, such as doing burn offs in breeding season in areas that are know to have dens.
In regards to the sharks I'm kinda torn between our natural instinct as humans to hunt and the right to kill/hunt/control versus everyones right to not have a species wipes out.
Westerners in particular often go to far in one direction and we are often very hypercritical.
And I bet some of the same people that read this kinda story and are against going out to kill a problem shark are also the same people who would complain if shark nets were taken from beaches.
I kinda support this go out and control to kill approach when or if needed, rather than lay out shark nets and kill all kinds of creatures.
Killing a few great whites MAY protect the lives of more than a few surfers in the coming months.
That it will or maybe have an effect on the food chain is possible?
I prefer not to be part of that 'food chain' !!!
Arguments abound. Life is precious. Surfing is Life.
A strict quota system with a minimum size limit would be unreal.
Get bloated tourists to WA to catch a trophy shark.
Pump $$ into the local economy and start a small boutique industry, save the fisheries a few dollars and thin out a few of the real "man eaters".
Everyone wins, except the bus sized sharks.
If it is managed properly it can work, hunting big game in Africa has increased the range of some species. Not saying it will of sharks, but definitely won't disrupt the population to much.
Put the shark warnings out there, and let the so called smartest creature on earth make his/ her own call on wether they want to enter the water or not. I believe we now live in a world where no-one takes any responsibility for themselves . It's always someone or something else's fault when something bad happens... Might even teach us humans a little patience .which in this must have now world, seems to be lacking. Wouldn't be the end of the world if people had to stay out of the water for a few weeks would it. It would be tough as we all love surfing, but surely the great beast will move on.
i reckon cull a few surfers. the summer crowds are getting to me..
Yes Frenchie, way too many flounder in the line - up at the moment.
greyhound makes a good point.
make an informed decision whether you get in the water or not. also take into consideration as to where and when you enter the ocean, the number of shark attacks would be much lower if people took these things into consideration.
we can only blame ourselves for putting ourselves in danger of a shark attack.
there are so many reasons why we shouldnt cull sharks!
This may be off topic but just so happened to look on google for 'shark sightings victoria' to randomly check if victoria had a shark sighting 'database' style recorded log and came across the following website.
http://www.yosurfer.com/content/oceans_and_environment/shark_attack_file...
I came across the 6th log down and was suprised to see that it had todays date.. does anybody have any information or did hear anything about this fatal attack today?
______________
Feb 14th 2013
Australia - Victoria - Port Phillip Bay, Port Melbourne
Shark:
Victim: male
Age/sex: M
Activity: Swimming
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After the power to capture and kill Great White sharks in Western Australia was granted to the director-general of fisheries late last year, the first Kill Order was issued yesterday for a shark hanging around the Dunsborough and Bunker Bay area.
au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/15781202/first-kill-order-for-sw-sharks/t
I think this is a sad day when such an intelligent and technologically advanced race such as ours resort to this form of action!
Who's to say that the shark they bait and catch is the same one that they spotted the day previous or the one that they are targeting.
Surely there has to be a better way, in the form of scientific research and studies. Sure this will take time but a knee jerk reaction such as this can never turn out well.