Kudos to the WA Government for their failed attempt to divert attention away from the millions of dollars worth of taxpayer’s money they’re spending on fisherman to murder innocent, endangered sharks off our beautiful beaches. To do this, they launched a website dedicating to “educating” the public about sharks. Educate, according to the dictionary, is defined like so: give intellectual, moral, and social instruction to (someone), typically at a school or university. #FAIL
You can find this poor, misleading attempt at www.sharksmart.com.au
On closer investigation of the site, I’ve broken down what some of the “facts” are really about.
On the homepage and throughout the entire website, they call for the public to report shark sightings to the Water Police. As a shark lover and a general conservationist who understands the fragility and importance of all eco systems, why would I report a shark to the Water Police when it is likely to only hand the shark its death sentence?
WRONG! The State Government has not listened and are not taking practical steps – they’re spending millions of dollars on inhumane, murderous methods with no scientific evidence of being effective in eliminating or at least significantly reducing shark incidents. And how does hunting and culling sharks “also deepen our understanding of shark behaviour”? The sharks are killed and dumped at sea (counter-productively attracting more sharks). They’re not even being used for research.
MISLEADING! Shark sightings are increasing, because we’ve increased aerial and beach patrols – what would you expect? THE FACTS: According to Surf Life Saving WA (thanks for the amazing work you do!) aerial patrols were conducted over 113 days in 2010/2011 over Perth metro waters. In 2011/2012 this increased to 190 days (620 hours) where there were 247 sightings, and in 2012/2013 there were 221 patrol days (751 hours) which reported 285 sightings. Over both years, the average shark sighting came in at roughly one shark every 2.5 hours – proving no disproportionate increase in sightings.
WTF! This is true but it’s important to note that a very strong reason behind this is the protected status of a number of shark species. Now the government culls, effectively reversing the vital comeback these shark populations have made.
WTF! Barnett, if this “long shadow” is a real driver for your culling campaign, don’t you think you should be reassessing how this long shadow has become a turbulent storm both nationally and internationally? You’re destroying our marine life, our reputation, and our pride. Don’t you think that attracting sharks closer to shore and directly into common surfing and diving sites with your baited drumlines is creating more concern than peace of mind?
Uh, last time I checked, culling sharks is neither practical nor does it have any scientific backing. And killing hasn’t ever been part of any love I’ve been involved in.
That’s just like saying “The water can be cold. Fact.”
This is misleading. There has only been one fatality at a “controlled” beach, but there have been several non-fatal shark incidents proving drumlines and netting to be ineffective.
WTF! We know it’s ineffective. We know it kills other marine life. We know the majority of sharks entangled in the nets are on the beach side. So again, we should be looking at alternatives. Maybe Eco Shark Barrier like the one at Coogee Beach or Sharksafe Barrier could be good options.
Is it just me, or does it seems insanely stupid to have baited drum lines at popular beaches?
Given these incidents have occurred offshore, where people dive, surf, etc, how is putting baited drum lines in these areas going to help reduce shark encounters? As much as I love diving and go looking for sharks, I’ll be less keen on seeing a hungry one that’s travelled a long way for food and then given the decision to eat a nice chunk of meat such as myself over a bit of crap on a hook.
This is just more fear mongering. I’ve already tackled the increase of sightings being directly related to increased patrol hours. But how’s that final paragraph? The question didn’t ask if shark numbers are increasing, but the government magically turns the answer into a focus on fatalities.
Belief, according to the dictionary, is defined as such: an acceptance that something exists or is true, especially one without proof. The government is basing all it’s decisions on “beliefs” rather than facts. All the polls and protestors prove that drum lines are not what the community wants.
Risk of by-catch may be minimized, but it’s not eliminated. Drum lines are being checked once every twelve hours. Any animal caught on a hook for that long is unlikely to survive anyway, so although the intent to release may be there, it’s not reality.
Finally, an intelligent, factual piece of information on their website. We know this is true, apparently the government endorses the fact too – so why are we killing innocent, endangered sharks?!
So again, the government has failed to implement a truly effective mitigation strategy, which is really not surprising. None of us have the ultimate answer, but we do know which methods are already more effective and which ones the government should be researching and developing.
Because, like the Dalai Lama said, “Using force is not a sign of strength, but a sign of weakness.”
