Can humans a sharks peacefully coexist? Photo: J. Stern
Editor’s Note: The following article was coauthored by Pell Thompson and Robert and Benjamin Eovaldi.
Despite the regional difference, the increased number of shark attacks on the East Coast of the United States can be concerning for surfers in California. Consequently, that fear of sharks could stop some surfers from paddling out into the ocean or hinder others from learning how to surf (perhaps some surfers would love that). However, the fear of sharks has the potential to threaten our coastal ecosystems. Here’s how: A surfer’s passion for the ocean helps to protect it. For example, surfers, environmentalists, and a host of other concerned citizens stood together to successfully petition against the highway expansion project that would have disturbed the local ecosystem as well as ruined the well-known surf breaks of Trestles and San Onofre. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to stand together, consider options, and foster a healthy discussion on what we can do to ensure a safe, healthy coexistence between humans and sharks.
Of course, sharks need to be protected because of their contribution to a healthy, balanced ecosystem. But they do not need to be crashing the lineup and picking off surfers. There are a few products on the market that promise to repel sharks and keep humans safe, but most of them are extremely expensive and their availability is limited.
Recently, an increased number of great whites and hammerheads have been showing up around the California coast due to abnormally high water temperatures. But so far, most of the expert opinions on shark repellents have come from Australia and South Africa. Thus, I would like to encourage more local experts to weigh in on the topic of shark-repellent technology. Below are few proposed ideas for shark repellents, which I’m hoping will generate a healthy discussion.
Zebra Pattern vs. Orca Pattern
Shark Mitigation Systems created a zebra-patterned wetsuit to present a “warning” or “threatening” appearance to a shark. However, new reports from the Southern African Shark and Ray Symposium suggest that the orca pattern may actually be a stronger shark repellent than the zebra pattern. The figure below shows a couple of our proposed orca patterns that could be applied to the bottom of a surfboard to deter sharks. In addition to the board pattern, would emitting orca sounds from surfboards, swimsuits, or the bottom of the ocean at surf breaks provide any additional benefit?
Expanded Electric Field
Perhaps a large electromagnetic shark repellent system could protect surfers at a specific break. An international surf competition could be a good starting point for such a pilot study, but to do something like that we would need to hear what the environmental experts have to say first. There could be unforeseen harmful effects from exposure to electric fields on other marine life, not to mention on humans.
I believe a safe method would be to tag all potentially harmful species with a sensor/transmitter capable of interacting with strategically placed shark safety beacons dialed into the same frequency of the shark tags. When the tagged shark gets too close to the beacon, they get a shock and leave the area, similar to an underground electric dog fence. As previously mentioned, the primary purpose of this essay is to foster a healthy discussion among experts to find a solution in order to ensure safety and coexistence.
For more of Robert’s work, visit his photography page at californiametalphoto.com.
