Great white shark caught in nets off Maroubra, witnesses say 'biggest they have seen'
The shark was described as "a definite man eater" in a Facebook post. Photo: Blue Reef Fishing Charters
A 4.65-metre great white shark has been found dead in the nets at Sydney's Maroubra Beach, the NSW Government has confirmed.
The NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) said the dead shark was removed from the nets this morning by contractors during a routine check.
Shark scientists have completed an autopsy.
Images of the shark in the net were shared on Facebook and Instagram.
Adam Cree, from Blue Reef Fishing Charters, saw the situation unfold this morning and said it was the biggest shark he had seen.
"This morning I witnessed a boat checking the shark nets of Maroubra beach," he said.
"They looked like they were struggling to get something up.
"It was big. The biggest shark I've ever seen, and I've been running charters off Sydney for 20 years.
"We catch small sharks on a regular basis but not to that scale. That was definitely a man-eater, no question about it."
The beach was closed until about 11:00am, according to Surf Life Saving NSW.
Great white sharks measure about 120cm to 150cm at birth and can grow to at least six metres in length.
Mr Cree said while numbers increase at this time of year, spotting one is rare.
"We don't see too many sightings of shark that are that big," he said.
"They're more of a true oceanic or blue-water shark."
© Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved.
Comments
No need for that shark to die. A big one but didn't do anyone any harm. Shark nets should be taken away.
If you don't want to co-exist then stick to the swimming pools.
Going by the articles you wrote about exposing secret or well hidden lines in the chugash.
I vote for Craig nets for the internet .
Seems like people in Vic feel the same way. Next time don't tell anyone maybe.
I vote for Craig nets on the internet.
What's this about the Chugach?
dickhead
Well said craig..
Yowza, that's big.
Flake and chips anyone?
Regrettably too much mercury and other heavy metals in sharks above 1.5m in length, that's why they aren't allowed to be sold in the markets when they get big
Calling b s on that one! The scientists have determined what we want again...limited studies on that one I bet.
People have become removed from the natural process of killing animals for food.
I come from a family with generations of fisherman. Fishing is something that has been passed down from one to the next. As does the equipment used to fish with , locations , bait techniques, bait locations.
In the last twenty years the lockout from marine reserves has been dramatic .
Yet the multinationals can still rape the sea........go figure?
I can't comment on the critique of the science as I haven't conducted or directly read a peer reviewed paper from an appropriate and respected subject specific journal on the topic - a fair call and I'll grant you that point(er ;) )
I can comment (also) from the perspective of an inter-generational professional fishing family who used to fish for sharks in the 80's and early 90's when these rules were implemented via the department of fisheries through Sydney fish markets.
I wonder if when the contractors managing the smart drum lines respond to a hook-up if they take a tissue sample for fisheries when they are tagging and measuring an animal?
Can not imagine they would. Must be a pretty daunting job when they roll up in the boat with one this big and have to try and manoeuvre the beast.
I truly don't know, but if they are going to the hassle of "measuring" it (how does that work accurately!!!!), putting a transmitter tag on it and escorting it out to sea then a biopsy is just another jab (and the biopsy rig is just a long hand spear like the one they'd use to put the transmitter tag on).
As an aside, we used to use "medium weight" tackle so that anything really big would just bite off..... There's no way we could land it anyway...... it was quite sobering finding these orphaned buoys proximal to some of my favorite surf spots!
Not that rare at Maroubra to be fair they hang around Botany Bay entrance and north this time of year.
Saves being attacked...die ten times over long before it opens it's Jaws. (Hopefully...11)
I like the smart drum lines. The critter gets caught if its lurking around. It gets tagged, slapped over the head, taken out to sea and the words "you are not the boss,.. we are" whispered into its ear. Then everyone wins and mister shark lives another day.
I’m with you optimist. Drum lines better for everyone.
Doesnt help when you’ve got people saying it’s “definitely a man eater”
The media is going to jump all over that
haha, how is this guy? A fisho trying to drum up some business by selling "Adventure tours into the realm of the Man eater"
Way more people die every year driving their "Man eaters" to the beach, or pier to get on the Adventure tour than this old fish could consume in 100 lifetimes.
Totally. Man-eater yet no attack over the weekend or yesterday..
Shame it had to die, echo the previous remarks about drum lines.
I'd be very interested to get all the biological data from it released: age, sex, maturity etc etc.
Seems there is still confusion about some of the basic biological facts about white sharks.
We need these apex predators alive! the ecosystem relies on its apex predators to keep things in order without them the dynamics change & food chains eventually collapse or biodiversity suffers because we have no apex predator. Drum lines seem to be the only answer where humans can feel safer in built up ocean areas, as 90% of GWShakrs leave the area after being tagged & released.
Don't worry, everything grows....
There plenty more protected ones that will grow to be big or bigger than this one.
Lol the food chain!
We are at the top, we eat everything, we keep everything in check. Humans are the apex predators.
100% this apex predator bullshit argument is just bollocks...without sharks only thing you will end up with is more seals and fish etc
Got to think further down the line Indo.
More seals = less fish as they eat them all = collapse/disruption of eco systems. It's a domino effect.
The nature balance is completely fucked up as it is, we heavily fish some species but protect others everything is out of whack.
Yeah if I had to go with anything the smart drumlines would be the go. I'm very happy for there to be nothing to 'protect' beach goers.
Strongly agree with comments above re smart drum lines. Doing a quick Wikipedia search suggests this shark was a female and many decades old. To say this shark was definitely a man eater is ridiculous, it's like saying every car is man killer. I don't know for sure but I reckon it's a fair bet to say this shark never killed any human.
Totally agree with you Craig. These animals are beautiful, ancient hunters - even if they are as scary as hell! Using nets is a piss weak approach to management - I'd prefer to see nothing
Sadly, the image looks like one of those douchebag big game hunting photos too, could easily be traded for a lion or giraffe or something. pretty tragic
Sharks like this aren't a problem.(until they become one)
But from what we are seeing and what fisherman are saying growing numbers are a problem.
Which makes complete sense when you heavily fish some species but protect others you can cause an unnatural un balance.
What about people Indo, numbers are growing there too. Are they a problem?
Sure are, unsustainable population growth is linked to just about every problem in the world today from climate change, to extinction of species, loss of jungle, even wars are influenced by too many humans fighting over resources.
Population growth is most likely the number one contributor to the increase in shark attacks, that and more vigilant data collection/reporting. The very act of measuring something affects the results.
For sure.
All those man eater headlines in the tabloids make sharks so hungry . All those data sets trigger the shark population to attack more regularly.
If people stopped using social media to report attacks, the attacks would stop.
*sarcasm.
I think you misunderstood me, I'm not talking about media, I'm talking about the level of data collection and scientific attention. 30-40 years ago many minor attacks or encounters may have simply gone unreported, in today's world we all hear about it when one swims underneath someone.
Imagine drowning in a net?Criminal and indiscrimante. Don't like them at all. Yes the balance is upset.
I think it’s a hard question to reconcile.
To see such an incredible creature killed is sad as fuck ....unless it is utilised for food. But some people will be against that due to heavy metals hysteria , despite the fact that your chances of suffering from heavy metal toxicity from consuming a small and irregular portion of a fish is about the same as getting eaten by that very fish. It’d be interesting if they had tested that shark for heavy metals, as the rates that individual fish may carry would surely vary widely.
I've read they've done an autopsy so hopefully some good info there. Wonder if this was tagged?
Amazing Blow in.
It's an unfortunate situation.
I wounder how much regulation this one did towards smaller sharks?
To think that they will analyze this shark than fillet it up and throw it in the trash is terrible. Someone better eat that thing other wise it's a wasted meal to the hungry.
I don’t get it that people say this shark should not have been killed because it’s so big and ‘majestic’. Are you saying because it managed to live longer than others then it should be protected? Why is this animal’s life more valuable than any other animal eg the 500kg cow that died for your dinner? Or the chicken? Or the snapper? What makes this animal’s life more special?
Disconnect from reality .
Because this majestic animal died in a net that's supposedly there to protect swimmers and surfers for our own selfish pleasures. We don't need to be in the ocean.
The nets kill way more other animals than sharks.
It's obv been around a long time and not attacked anyone that we know of.
As stated above, we don't need to be in the ocean, and if you feel uncomfortable stick to the ocean pools. To kill such an impressive specimen for no need is the real crime.
I’m not saying it should have been killed, but I’m not going to mourn for it any more than any other animal that I’ve been indirectly responsible for its death (and I’m well aware of most of them).
How’s this for a dichotomy: if a young person dies it’s considered more of a tragedy than if a very old person does (they had a good life/ innings and all that). But in the animal world, it’s the opposite. An older life is worth more in our eyes
Disconnect alright.
We don't need to eat animals either. To kill any animal for no need is the real crime.
I need to eat animals.
I’ve tried not eating them and it’s shithouse. I got weak and my mates started calling me Jenny because I lost so much muscle and strength.
It’s also unnatural.
Animals eat us , we eat animals. It’s normal , get over it.
“Jenny”
Exactly
Psychologists have found that most people will give medicine prescribed to their dog readily and regularly. Yet, when the same people are prescribed a medication for their own well-being, the instance of people following through with THAT program is much lower.
The theory is that we allow our inherent self-loathing to determine to how much we look after ourselves, and this readily explains our inverse valuation of the lives of animals vs humans.
*I like my dog quite a bit, and I don't mind knowing there are sharks in the water (somewhere) when I surf in Australia (WA/SA mostly). But I also kind of hate myself like most of us haha
Also, conditioning/culture/tradition have a part to play in our value systems of other life forms.
Example, show a group of adults; a dog, a cat, a cow, a chicken. Ask them for their first word or words that come to mind. The answer usually goes; pet, pet, beef, eggs. Now show the same images to a group of young children. The response is usually; dog, cat, cow, chicken.
This is down to conditioning. As we mature, we learn values (culture) and methods of survival/success (tradition) from those around us who are more learned and successful (older).
Our way of determining; which animals are food/which animals are pets, which animals should be killed/which animals should be protected is a survival mechanism.
The reason there is so much discussion and varying points of view regarding sharks in particular is that we currently have new values challenging old traditions. After JAWS came out, it was perfectly acceptable to unload a 12 gauge into a pointer's head and let it sink to the bottom, we feared the beast, the unknown. Now, we have learned so much about the ocean that we recognise it's rightful place at the top of the food chain. A food chain that we are not normally a part of (they mostly spit us out anyways, not enough fat/too many bones), and they are not a part of our food chain either (if there was any value in hunting and consuming large sharks we would have traditions tying us to the practice).
Sorry for sounding like a know-it-all, but that's my opinion and I like the way the world looks when I view it through this lense.
*not vego/vegan, but I do try to eat roo instead of beef cause they fart less and are readily available.
Awesome . well said .
Just one thing though.......Orcas are actually the true top of the oceans.
Please name one time in the entire history and pre- history of mankind where humans haven’t been a part of the oceanic food chain . Both eating and being eaten.
To consider man as seperate from the marine environment is the real conditioning in this discussion.
Or is it because we don’t have gills ? But neither do cetaceans or seals or even sea birds
Would you say that a shearwater has a place in the oceanic food chain? Why would you consider us more removed ?
We began in the ocean. We evolved from fish. We still have webbing on our hands and feet and our body instinctively stops breathing if we are immersed in water.
Humans have always eaten large sharks. Why do you think there is so few of them left ? Good luck being a whale shark swimming around in Asia.
Do you want me to answer this ?
Current pop culture conditioning vs human history (and the archaeology to prove it) of the deep past, history wins every time.
Blowin, this is for you.
Imagine this article and the subsequent comments are an analogue for a food chain. First you have your autotrophs (the stunets, thermalbens, craigs, and cameo-ing Phil Jarrats et al.) they occupy the first trophic level and they produce their own nutrients (content) for the other trophic levels to consume. In place of the autotroph's photosynthesis (nutrients form the sun) we have cognitive and metacognitive writing (producing content from an idea or the idea of idea, fact based topics and open ended questions to the community if you will). Next, we have the herbivores (people who consume said content leave a simple "nice article" comment, they don't stray to far from the content). Herbivore consume autotrophs, think plankton that feed on algae or even krill perhaps. Vital parts of any system, though somewhat mundane. We then arrive at the third trophic level, things are getting bigger here, the animals and the ideas. Baleen whales that come along and scoop up massive amounts of secondary trophic level animals, krill and plankton consumed in the millions. You can find tertiary level trophs on this page, kinda going off topic by commenting on someone else's comment, the content is evolved by their input (nutrients remember!). Only now have we reached the the top of the foodchain, the highest trophic level, the apex predator. Voracious consumers of tertiary-troph-spec animals (GWS eating a whale perhaps, or Orca eating salmon or whatever else it "decides" to eat). Special mention here must go to the Orca as they have only ever been recorded killing humans in swimming pools, never ever not-even-once recorded in the wild). This is where you come in, the apex predator cruising the boards, constantly on the look out for some tidbit of content, not caring too much what trophic level the content is coming from, you'll comment on an article, a comment, or a comment on a comment! I like that, and I'm not taking the mickey out of you here, good websites need consistent and well written engagement, which you do regularly. But... there is one level of the foodchain we've missed, not at the top or the bottom, kind of off to one side and with an ambiguous direction looking like the recycling symbol is... the detrivores! The decomposers if you like, are those that survive by consuming the organic wastes of other animals into nutrients yet again, in our somewhat odd analogue of the message board food chain, this is my natural place. You may prefer to call me by my latin name "coprophage" or my favourite, the ancient greek "skatophágos" which means "shit-eater", but essentially I process the content of all trophic levels, into my own skewed version of "The Truth". I hope you laughed mate :)
Now that we are on the same page regarding food chains and crappy metaphors, I was referring to humans not being part of the shark's pantry selection that makes up their food chain. We simply aren't reliable enough of a food source, as up until verrry recently we only entered the water in small number for short periods of food gathering. So to answer your demand, I'll point to pretty much every day since homo sapiens diverged from the other lot of homos and went about the business of taking over the entire planet. Rare opportune feeding does not make a species part of a food chain. Generally speaking apex predators like GWS feed on tertiary trophic level marine consumers like tuna, whales, and seals. Those are their food sources in the chain, and we humans are not in the chain below any tertiary trophic level marine animals, so we are not in the shark's food chain (if we didn't scuba dive or spear fish or surf or use our leisure time to aimlessly swim in areas where sharks dwell). My last point of evidence for excluding humans from shark diets is in the accounts of actual shark attacks, most people get spat out, and even when people die, their unfortunate corpse is often recovered. If we truly were shark-food, they would be eating us, not treating us like a young kid having his first go at tobacco chew. Some species of shark are in the human food chain of course, but that does not make our two food chains into one. Generally speaking yet again, humans have avoided consuming GWS throughout history due to the difficulties in procuring them on a regular basis, the higher probability of illness following prolonged consumption, and the fact that they are fucking scary.
We have eaten whatever we could get our hands on, our preference leaning towards species that were; plentiful, easy to hunt, and of high nutritional value, with some exceptions here and there. Before the advent of modern science and thus our ability to identify nutritional source (proteins, amino acids, etc etc) as well as toxins, venoms etc. we still avoided and pursued certain foods. That's natural selection for ya.
Haha, what a post, loved it Cylinders! Post of the year?
Brilliant! I agree Craig, I just reckon you need to hit that edit button Cylinders, and fill in the remaining Swellnet characters and it will indeed be the comment of the year. I can hear the laughter coming out of Dundas from here
I always have time for a little inclusivity. Thanks fellas
Sorry Cylinders.
I only just caught this post. I agree with the sentiments above . Really enjoy reading what you have to say...and I’m just referring to the stuff about me !
Jokes.
Smart , well presented opinion that I can’t really dispute so I’ll have to agree with you on all counts.
You should post more often , Swellnet could do with a resident coprophile.
Thanks Blowin, I look forward to more conversations in the future! I've only just begun writing again and may have some more content to share with everyone at some stage, until then, happy hunting ;)
Agree with above .cylinders, great post.
My only question is where Gary G sits in this ecosystem of swellnet writing...
https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/18/science/new-puzzle-on-sex-life-of-oct...
The ocean is a strange place.
Let’s talk about the effects of immense human population expansion into the fragile Australian ecosystem if you’re genuine about preventing disruption of nature’s balance.
Mass amounts of humanity are going to deplete the local fish resources a shitload faster and more completely than a few extra seals.
I think that the reason people believe that a huge white pointer shouldn’t be considered more majestic than a chicken is perhaps because they’ve never seen a pointer in real life.
They are fucking incredible. Hypnotic to watch.
Funny thing , but I can stand on a headland around where I’m currently at and see both white pointers and chickens from the same vantage point and whilst the chickens are interesting, they’re certainly not majestic or hypnotic to watch.
It’s probably a combination of the scale of the animal, it’s relative rarity and the fact that it has the potential to utterly destroy you as food , then shit you out and never give you a second thought that makes all the difference.
All animals are equal ...but some animals are more equal than others. When was the last time you mentioned to someone that you’d spotted a chicken or a cow whilst you were at the beach ?
I don’t eat chickens but I do eat sharks , if that accounts for anything.
Hey Blowin,
Don't knock the chickens man....i got two in the backyard in suburban Shitney and they lay eggs every day, no shark gonna feed me like a chicken:-)
I’ve got my fingers in a few chickens....figuratively, of course.
Can’t beat those golden yolks of a free range , bush chook.
Unfortunately though , I’ve got to deal with a wayward rooster this weekend. Take it for the long walk. Fucker thinks it’s appropriate to crow 500 times per day and it thinks daylight starts at 3AM.
Sounds like the 4:30 bird.. Monster Children in joke..
"Don't expect much of a newsletter today. I was awakened at 4:30 AM by a bird I've come to know as the 4:30 Bird. He begins his relentless bullshit an hour before first light and doesn't stop until 7:30. For three hours he calls, and if there's anyone on my street sleeping through it, they're either on heroin or dead.
The call sounds something like the first half of a wolf-whistle but with a question mark at the end, and it can pass through masonry without losing volume. The call occurs at a rate of one 'Caaaaaw?' every two seconds and, again, it goes for three hours. I've considered contacting the council to see if they have some sort of catch-and-release scheme for arseholes like the 4:30 Bird, but now I'm wondering if I shouldn't just catch him myself and bash him to death with a rock. I know that sounds insane–after all, he's just a bird trying to get laid. I like sex too, but guess what would happen if I went out on my balcony at 4:30 AM every day with a bullhorn and repeated 'Anybody? Anybody? Anybody?' for three hours? I'd be bashed to death with a rock."
Haha !
And an update, haha.
"Yesterday, at 4:30 am, in my underpants, I placed a speaker on my window and played wedge-tail eagle sound effects at maximum volume across the rooftops in my street. This I did to ward off the 4:30 Bird. If you're just tuning in, the 4:30 Bird is a bird who started squawking from 4:30 to 7:30 every morning over a week ago. He is hidden inside a huge tree and his call sounds like half a wolf-whistle with a question mark at the end. It's very loud and can travel through brick walls without losing volume. I hate the 4:30 Bird very, very much.
Anyway, so I dragged a speaker to an upstairs window and, after a few seconds of really loud and aggressive eagle sound effects, the 4:30 Bird went silent. 'Oh my god,' I could almost hear him think, 'there's a fucking wedge-tail living with that guy I've been deliberately messing with for the last nine days because I'm a total bastard... I better take my bullshit somewhere else.'
Then I heard him fly away.
Success! You're welcome, neighbourhood. I went back to bed and got another three hours shut-eye.
Unfortunately, the 4:30 Bird was back again this morning, making sure everyone on my street has another sluggish, lacklustre day. I am now in the market for an air rifle or a hawk. I am also in the market for some hash, but that's unrelated. DM me @okcrombie"
Also in the market for some hash , but that’s unrelated.
Good read , Craig .
Is that the Monster Children site ?
Nah on their email blast. Sign up.
Ha Ha - I was thinking of those little b@&%$ds while reading the post. We call them the "orgasm birds". Those aren't berries near him, they're viagra!
Goddamn Channel Billed or New Guinean Cuckoo, one in my neighbor's tree. I have not found a way to "discourage" it's presence to date.
Three of them have started posting up in the close neighborhood.
Big fuckers.
You actually want the rooster around as fertilized eggs are ph neutral .
Rather than unfertilized, being to acidic ........they all start talking early especially when the full moon is coming.
Our Rooster has a few mates down the road and some round the corner then some up the hill.
He's a fiesty little one also....
One of my favourite Far Sides.
Gary Larson is above David Attenborough and almost every other person of knowledge when I think of early influences in my life. I credit Gary Larson with planting the seed of interest in the natural world around me, and making light of humanity's propensity for self-aggrandisement above animals. Growing up we always had a dozen or so of his anthologies laying around the house, and I can clearly remember not understanding most of it, but being driven to do so. Calvin and Hobbes was good too, nurturing an interest in philosophy and existential concepts. Those are the real truth books right there, no Bible or Koran or Talmud will teach a child the ways of life like Larson and Watterson.
Totally agree.
I had every Larson compilation book. Must have read those things dozens of times.
“Bummer of a birthmark, Hal “
hahaha that one was one of my favourites, used to have a mug with it on there
yeah i definitely dont agree with the man-eater thing, what if it only ate women?
bit sexist if you ask me.
I agree with Craig take the nets down . Just cruel to remove an apex predator from the marine biome. This is the kind if animal that would of kept the younger more adventurous sharks in check. Like taking the top dog out now it's just the scavengers left. And that fool was smiling!
"This is the kind if animal that would of kept the younger more adventurous sharks in check" I heard once that something similar might have happened at seal rocks in Phillip Island after Hislop killed that big one in 1985.
Let’s not get carried away here , guys.
There’s no proof that this shark hasn’t attacked a human either.
I'm not educated enough on the debate re nets etc but I'm another vote for not liking the fool smiling in the photo.
I acknowledge all the sea creatures when I enter the surf and apologize for human impact. Reckon the Japanese would regard being mauled to death by a man eating media frenzy as highly honourable.
No! We're not born equal...'
Yes! There is a Top 100 for tribes & or animal species...
Only when a species is Vulnerable or Endangered does world issue a protection order.
Great White Shark's protection order expires this year.
CSIRO have been studying numbers and present their findings to the Feds very soon.
Libs are lassoing seahorses & slinging conch shells to sound open Shark season.
Fuck a Duck or Fark the Shark it's all the same to them...
https://www.tracksmag.com.au/news/will-the-great-white-shark-be-taken-of...
Regardless of whether the shark has chewed on a few humans this indiscriminate killing should be a crime, we are not masters of the universe. You want to play in the ocean, accept the risk.
The bloke holding the net in the picture looks pretty satisfied at the sight of the dead GWS, stoked even. Each to their own I suppose.
What a magnificent creature that GWS was and yes, if it was hungry & a human was in the vicinity, there’s every chance it could of bit said human clean in half. Go figure.....
Save the school shark:
http://www.fish.gov.au/2012-Reports/School_Shark
Estimated 8 to 17% of the 1927 biomass left.
Unfortunately it isn't majestic enough, mate. Doesn't even get to 6 foot.
I'd say it's doomed...
Maybe not the best evolutionary move making the decision to taste so good.
im with kaiser, that shark sucks.
we only save bad ass muthaf****s
Wonder if it was the one that swam under me at Port Beach a couple of years ago, it was very large and didn't even acknowledge my existence and swam off into the blue...could have also been the one that stole the flipper from the free diver off the Five Islands last year...I'm sure it did have lots of human interactions in its life.
Bit much to have a go at old mate because he has a smile on his face.
his mate might have yelled out "cheese"......
he might just be stoked as hell he doesn't have to deal with 15 foot of great white shark alive and kicking.
If that animal was still alive then cue in the Chief Brodie quote:
"we're gonna need a bigger boat!"
Anyone worked on the drumlines? How do you de-hook a 4.65m White?
I haven't done it, but I surf with the bloke who does the Ballina drum lines .....he reckons it's pretty hectic.
I bet! I hooked a bottom fish in 120m of water off Exmouth, which was then eaten by a 4m tiger shark. It came up to the boat and frightened the crap out of me, couldn't give the rod away fast enough. I'm not a brave fisherman. The remoras were shoulder high.
Agree FR, he would be coursing with adrenalin. Can't gauge his character based on that singular moment.
Maybe his mate informed him he's gonna need a bigger boat
He's in a fucken tinny!
It's not all doom and gloom, there can be a quick turn around, things recover quickly.
If the guy in the photo was pulling up a baby whale everyone would be mortified. These are sea creatures. They belong in the sea. We are land mammals. Why do we have the right to do anything in the sea? That man in the photo brings to mind the emus getting run over by that man who went to jail. Like he's doing it for Australia or something.
How do you explain the Axolotl?
I saw two this big once at 6:30am on a crowded Sydney beach. No one got eaten. They were just following the burley trail to a dead whale 10 km's North.
I think sharks are amazing and I'd rather get eaten than kill sharks indiscriminately. I want my kids to be proud of me and what I stand for. I'm a man that loves nature and I'm a part of nature.
Sh#thouse effort on the journalism there swellnet. Very disappointing article. Looks like you found the least qualified knob with the least well researched comments to support your article.
Really irresponsible and definitely part of the problem in regards to shark media.
Kudos to the majority of the comment section for bringing a bit of sanity to the conversation
Just to clarify.. this article was sourced from the ABC, of which the journalist who wrote the story has been with the ABC for three years.
From our perspective, it’s a public-interest article (that’s attracted a healthy discussion too) directly related to a reasonable percentage of our Sydney audience.
As to the veracity of the story, it details the facts - verified with several government agencies - and then includes a quote from a witness who also works for a fishing charter.
The bloke in the photo reminds me of this guy below. A viral image from at least 10 years ago, not sure if it's photoshopped. Any relative perhaps?
Unbelievable photo . Would have been a shit hot experience.
Photo is of Jeff Schmucker taken off the Eyre Peninsula about 25 years ago.
Great photo. Imagine if he fell in ....Darwin award for sure ; )
"Please name one time in the entire history and pre- history of mankind where humans haven’t been a part of the oceanic food chain . Both eating and being eaten."
I've got to agree. This "humans don't belong in the ocean" thing that comes up every time there is a shark incident is both biologically and historically myopic and smacks of a certain city-based privileged western perspective.
You hear it constantly in the Guardian whenever there is an attack/encounter in Ballina.
"oh, stupid surfers, don't go in the water, humans don't belong in the ocean" blah, blah, blah.
What do they think is going to happen? Ballina is going to up sticks and migrate to Casino?
White shark evolution is contested but they either descend from a common ancestor from Megalodon 2-12 million years ago or some kind of Mako shark ancestor 6-20 million years ago.
Hominids have been around for at least 2 million years, with the possibility of some kind of aquatic ape ancestor using shallow seas.
Both of these time scales are a blip on geological time ......so to suggest the white shark has some unique claim on inshore oceanic waters that humans don't have is a nonsense.
It also smacks of western privilege. Go tell Samoans, or Fijians, or Solomon Islanders, or Tahitians that some latte sipping Guardian reader reckons they don't belong in the ocean.
Their whole culture, livelihood, recreation is based on it.
That doesn't excuse or advocate for wiping out large sharks, or any sharks.
But if the stated aims of White Shark recovery programs come to fruition some kind of compromise positions are going to have to be arrived at if Australia's coastal based populations and apex opportunistic ambush predators are going to co-exist.
Compromise positions based on reality, not ideology or misanthropy.
Well seeing as we don't have gills and there's a physical boundary between them being able to walk on land I disagree.
Fishing interactions can and do occur on a canoe or similar which puts another barrier between sharks and us.
BTW I'm pretty sure these islanders don't have nets/drum lines etc across their beaches.
I don't buy it sorry Steve.
@ Craig nets
Lol your new nick name ; )
IKR, go for a walk through the Tarkine or SW Wilderness in Tassie and you will see landscapes stripped of all people for ideological reason. People were completely part of them, for firestick farming managment of hunting grasslands if nothing else is conceded.
Totally hear you there Mr Free ride.
I have a feeling Aust could become the next reunion if something doesn't happen.
It won't be fixed by paperwork either.......if you get my drift.
I don't need you to buy it Craig. It's not a matter of opinion.
The position that "humans don't belong in the ocean" is just not supported by biological or historical evidence.
It's an ideological position, not a factual one.
Using the argument that sharks can't breathe air and go on land is not the same as saying humans don't belong in the ocean. We are adapted for many different types of environment, and hence why such a successful (too successful) species.
Islanders have fishing gear of all types, ranging from spear guns, to nets, to lines of all types.
They have complex relationships with sharks, but the idea that sharks belong in the ocean and humans do not, is a nonsense to them.
"but the idea that sharks belong in the ocean and humans do not, is a nonsense to them."
I don't disagree with this, I just think that deploying these shark nets across beaches do more harm than good and are there just to put the general publics mind at ease.
The wrinkling of hands and feet is proof of our biological adaptation to periods spent in water, it has been theorised that it was evolved to increase our grip and traction. Handily (sorry) it is also conducive to keeping us warm by sending the blood to our core.
I wasn't saying we don't belong in the sea, I am saying there is zero evidence to support our inclusion in shark food chains.
I do think we need to address shark numbers, and pull our heads out of the sand (whale carcasses too) when it comes to protecting water users.
Science will be the answer, as it always has been. Too bad the libs keep cutting the funding. Without understanding, all our solutions will be stabs in the dark.
Fair enough.
I agree with you, in the main.
But you can't deny the spectacular success of the nets in preventing attacks.
If the increasing population leading to increasing attack rates theory was true, that is if had any predictive power, you would expect the greatest rates of shark attack increase to be where coastal populations have increased the most.
By a very far margin that is coastal Sydney. Central coast to Woolongong.
Yet, attack rates are far lower there than other parts of coastal NSW where population increases are at far lower rates.
Shark mitigation, ie nets has played a huge role in preventing attacks.
You only need to go back and look at the period from when surf bathing was legalised in the early 1900's to when nets where introduced in 1937.
Way higher attack rates before nets, despite a very much smaller population.
Attack rates peaked in the 30's.
They put nets in and they plummeted.
It's hard to argue with the data when you look at it, yet people do.
Having said that, I'd like to see nets phased out and smart drumlines used.
"But you can't deny the spectacular success of the nets in preventing attacks."
Off course they do nets kill every thing whether moving or static.
The whites really are a test of how serious we are about conservation verse recreation.
But as a mate of mind keeps reminding me the earth will carry on without us quite happily.
Well that opinion puts a hole in the theory that removing the apex predator will cause ecosystem collapse.
Humans are the apex predator in every environment they enter .
Yet the general consensus is that the Earth would be better off without us. Someone is wrong .
It’s strange that I consider myself misanthropic in some regards , but even I pale at the suggestion that ridding the Earth of humanity is a good thing.
Blowing it only matters if humans are to continue on into the millennia to come, at the current rate of expansion (pick any thing consumption of resources, birth rate etc) highly unlikely.
Current eco systems only matter to our survival not earths.
Makes no difference to the earth it will develop other species.
Remember the old "Law of Nature" apex predators always respected the law.......except humans it would seem.
You are correct. We are in complete ecosystem overshoot. I think 1986 was when consumption overtook the earth's ability to provide for it. 6th great mass extinction underway presently. The overshoot has been enabled by plentiful cheap oil with a high EROEI - this is falling fast.
The big one for the planet and life continuing boils down to one issue only: there are 454 nuclear reactors worldwide, and another 54 being built. They were designed and constructed by very high IQ individuals, and human IQ is recorded as falling. If they go offline for any reason (war, solar killshot, disaster) they will eventually run out of coolant to keep them within temp specs, and melt down. If they melt down, an absolutely gargantuan amount of highly radioactive substances will be released into the biosphere. Even in very low concentrations this is not kind to life. That would be game over. It takes about 5-7 years to decommission a reactor, and we (except: Finland) have no real way of storing the waste. Some reactors exist that can reprocess waste, and alternate, safer reactor designs also exist. The time is now.
Not static.
They don't trawl the nets.
It has to swim into the net and be big enough to get caught in the mesh.
Personally, I'd like to see a staged phase out of nets over a 5 year period. Reduce the time they are set over that period and introduce smart drumlines in during the same period.
I think that would have a chance of being politically palatable and able to get past the shock jocks who seem to set the political agenda in Sydney.
I used to work at Fisheries Research at Cronulla and used to talk regularly with the blokes who did the meshing research. One of the more interesting tidbits was that the majority of sharks were caught on the inside of the nets. Be interesting to know which side this one was on.
And can the next person to see that "definite man-eater" peanut give him a serve.
I hear that point used all the time: "oh, the shark was caught on the inside of the net"
To me, that is neither here nor there.
The nets are set roughly 500m offshore with open ocean either side.
If the nets worked by disrupting inshore cruising patterns ......and the evidence is that white sharks like to cruise the surf zone.....then it doesn't really matter what side of the net it was caught on.
In fact, you'd expect sharks cruising the surf zone to be more likely to be caught on the inside of the net.
Apparently the DPI showed tagged sharks figures for nsw on their facebook this morning .......i cant seem to find it and i cant put up copied photo from what my mate sent me.......not sure why...but pretty disturbing the amount from Evans and Ballina /Lennox.Can you find it ?
No, but I saw it.
There were more tagged in separate DPI tagging trials before the drumline trial started as well.
I think another 20-30.
Definitely not scarce around here.
What i did notice was the lack of bullsharks recorded ,only 7 ithink and no bronzies.......fuk there used to be millions of them in those areas...maybe too smart for the drum lines.....or maybe whitey has moved them on.
so many myths. The biggest one is that they don't like us - that's why they only take a bite. People don't realise that this is the modus operandi that has got them this far through the evolutionary chain. They are the ultimate energy conserver. Every bit of energy they use equals the need to find more energy (food) to stay alive. So they have mastered the art of the ambush attack, wait for the prey to bleed out and die, then devour it. Unfortunately, dolphins and seals don't have mates on surfboards that will drag them out of the water to deny them the rest of their meal.
This could of been the same shark?
The GWS she has dived with have been from around Hawaii and Baja, different populations to the Aus East Coast GWS population. The Mexico/Cali GWS migrate into waters around Hawaii back and forth, wheras the Australian East Coast GWS are supposed to move between Fraser/Barrier Reef and down to Bass Straight/Tassie. Only general observations from tags, as you will get the rare individual that crosses an ocean, South Africa to NW WA for example.
Councils forever erect Flags & netted areas in Shark Hot Spots.
No arguments from any this is where we're are directed to Swim. (That's all we ever knew!)
115km + upriver Lismore & Ipswich locals & pets step well back from the river.
Climate/Seachange has Shark ruling 70% of Australian's population quite easily.
Gold Coast has 860 kms of exclusive Shark Tourist Routes...(No red lights!) Sharks rule here.
Next council over the Sharks designed and play on their own golf course.
As kids we swam in shark free upper creeks & waterfalls...Total Ban from 2000 on!
We can & do spend Billions even Trillions of dollars building the largest shark free lakes.
For hygiene reasons the Govt bans us from swimming in these safe waters...(Fines apply)
As temperatures rise the Shark's golf handicap is coming down.
World has changed...as Gold Coast [BEACH CLOSED] grows from Days-Weeks into Months.
"Time for another Schoolie Sacrifice ...Mr Mayor!"
That's such a massive loss. This shark is most likely the same giant white thats seen this
time of year around Cronulla reef breaks for years never a threat swam around us between
us just scared us it was a magnificent creature not a predator at all if it was nobody would
be in the ocean I feel like I just lost my dog. A cat is a predator it kills everything it can never
lets anything go. The hyped up media has a lot to answer for.
u
Really, everyones making out they knew this shark personally,nice shark here boy......fetch...seriously theres shit loads of them breeding away in deep water out off the shelf.
As for his comment "it was definitely a man-eater" - how did he come to that conclusion? Seriously!
That things a Pilchard compared to WA sharks, ours are hungrier as well. I've seen a submarine go underneath at Grunter's nearly became JC for a second, it was massive.
Google largest tiger shark caught off Port Stevens.
One of the gnarliest things I have ever seen, with my own eyes .
Photos don't do this justice.
There's a new wave of adult sharks coming up and we haven't been regulating the local ocean in anyway.
To think we can just remove the nets or stop drum lining is very foolish.
I constantly read people say they have never seen a shark surfing.....
Let me just tell you , you are very fortunate. Its not fun being bumped off your board, being circled , or watching a massive tiger breach ten feet in front of you.
I am one of the lucky ones, I hope you all are lucky also. Surf smart surf safe people!
People who have never seen a shark surfing are becoming a vanishingly rare breed in this neck of the woods.
And the number of people I know who have now been actually attacked by white sharks is getting hectic.
I know far more people who have been hit by white sharks than have been killed in car crashes.
The theories that increasing population is leading to this increase in attacks and the other idea that "education" or awareness can lead to a decrease in attacks is a load of bollocks.
The data is now very clear. Increase in white shark numbers = increase in encounters/attacks.
“And the number of people I know who have now been actually attacked by white sharks is getting hectic.”
How many FR?
“I know far more people who have been hit by white sharks than have been killed in car crashes.”
How is this relevant in any significant way?
“The data is now very clear. Increase in white shark numbers = increase in encounters/attacks.”
So based on that data the only way to reduce encounters/atttacks is to reduce the numbers of GWS? Is that your solution FR?
Sorry Cylinders.
I only have just caught this post. I agree with the sentiments above . Really enjoy reading what you have to say...and I’m just referring to the stuff about me !
Jokes.
Smart , well presented opinion that I can’t really dispute so I’ll have to agree with you on all counts.
You should post more often , Swellnet could do with a resident coprophile.
Really good read. Fun ,funny and smart.
Is it true that the protection order on GWSharks expires this year?
12 drownings this month..
And all the talk is ever about is about shark mittigation.. Cape Schanck diver dies in third Christmas drowning on Victoria's beaches
Actually mate , there are life saving volunteers and professionals dotting this land from tip to tip , purpose built clubhouses , training systems that are incorporated into the education curriculum and governmental support in order to provide the latest in lifesaving equipment.
But yeah , apart from all of that no one ever thinks of mitigating drownings....
Well, can't argue with that ha.
But.. it seems the message isn't getting through to swim at a patrolled beach or between the flags. Or if you can't swim or aren't confident don't go out.
This guy at Cape Shanck was diving for abs, decent swell yesterday. Not a good day to be at the Shanck
Craig! (Actually plays down Summer drownings by half)
Last Summmer was a sad record with (52) drownings {R.I.P}
2018/19 couldn't be more alarming with One drowning for every day of Summer
https://www.9news.com.au/2018/12/24/14/03/drowning-a-day-in-australia-th...
The guy at Cape Schanck probably saw a proper big GWS and had a heart attack . Not one of those bait fish that the article was about .
I walked along the beach the other evening after the flags were down. No shortage of drowning candidates playing around the edge of a few solid inshore rips.
Crisis Point. {R.I.P} Horror Summer now too big to ignore.(Message from PM soon?)
https://tendaily.com.au/news/australia/a181226nwq/spate-of-christmas-dro...
The sad facts are, with the numbers of new Australians and OS visitors who have zero idea about the ocean and/or can't swim, any body of water from a river, to a pool to the ocean is a killer.
2 Chinese people, grown adult and child died in a pool. They were walking along the beach and got swept in.
Indian man and his 20 year old son who both couldn't swim drowned at Phillip Island.
I wish a few “ new citizens “ that keep bashing people at Victorian beaches would just drink a little too much and go for a swim !
Which Vic beaches have been getting the bashings Southey? Haven't heard anything about it from under my rock.
Must be some rock
https://www.3aw.com.au/glassing-thefts-and-assaults-in-a-night-of-shocki...
Yeah it is. Ive found all forms of Aussie MSM unwatchable for about 5 years now so between the local community newspaper and the international finance markets I hear nothing...
Mental note: avoid that beach. No waves anyway. Edit: for the local people there though, that's a shocker, if that kind of menace presents itself, surely there must be some way to organise some defence? Social media is very quick these days.
Cronulla riots 2.0
Many nations hunted whales and in the 150 years or so to about the 1970s reduced whale populations by a lot (let's call it 95%). is it possible that (a) great white and other big shark populations declined pretty much in line with Whale populations? AND is it possible that (b) as whale populations have increased ...then so have great whites and other large sharks? We (humans) also did it's best to clean out the beaches of fish like salmon and mullet and to catch as many seals as possible...old timers might remember just how "black the beaches were when the salmon or mullet were running). But now...the past 30 or 40 years whaling, sealing, beach netting and even professional fishing has been vastly scaled back and populations are increasing once more (which of course is great news). (ok not sure about shark finning which might still be decimating shark populations...hopefully not too bad in Australia perhaps?0
I've got no evidence for this by the way...it's just a conjecture...but perhaps the last 40 years has seen the lightest possible incidence of "surfer meets shark" and hence very light in "shark attacks". Could it be possible that over the next 20 years we'll see an increasing incidence of "events" ? Let's hope not
I want to see large sharks culled that encroach on swimming and surfing spots frequented by humans, also I'm glad Kelly Slater got the not over a Brazzo as an injury replacement. (This is not sarcasm).