terracottacactus Posted January 3, 2014 It looks like these fucking ridiculous great white shark culls are going to happen, and I guess I'm just furious and venting... I'm curious how you all feel about this issue, both for and against the culling. Personally I can't believe this is going to happen, it just seems like such a stupid reaction to modern media fear mongering. I always said that one of Australia's saving graces was that we don't butcher these amazing fish. We just seem to kill or outlaw anything that seems remotely scary. But like I said, I'm curious as to your opinions too. (Maybe other surfers feel differently) 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
naja naja Posted January 3, 2014 where? Western Australia? They might say they are going to do it, but they won't do shit. Thats what i rekon. I saw a great white fully breach chasing a seal last week, from shore. I say leave them be, but then again, I don't swim for this exact reason. I make do with wading It sure shows the protection status is working though hey.. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
terracottacactus Posted January 3, 2014 Yeah, W.A is the first, good old Barnett is acting like the cunt he's always been. I hope you're right naja, but I wouldn't be surprised if he goes through with this hoping for a bit of good press. I try and swim every day and know that they're out there but that is what the ocean is - a huge blue wet wonderful thing full of fish. I would have loved to see a shark like that, it must have been an amazing sight! P.S sorry all for the strong language. 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
swampjrass Posted January 3, 2014 I think the tenders for the pros ended yesterday ... Its a shame but I feel it will go ahead .... Attracting theses big boys into the shallows is a bad mistake 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waterboy 2.0 Posted January 3, 2014 Queensland has been using drum lines for 51 years, with one fatal attack at a patrolled beach during that period, but also uses nets to prevent sharks that are lured by the baits from coming close to shore. Christopher Neff, an American PhD student at the University of Sydney conducting the first doctoral thesis on the politics of shark attacks, said West Australian beachgoers would actually be more at risk of attack if the planned drum lines were not accompanied by nets. "I'm befuddled by the rationale of how baiting sharks towards the beaches is meant to reduce the risk of a shark attack,'' Mr Neff said. http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/baited-drum-lines-to-catch-sharks-create-more-dangerous-situation-says-phd-student/story-fnhocxo3-1226780883945 so then they are going to use half the "shark protection technology"....might as well start the berley streams off the beach then. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
whitewind Posted January 3, 2014 It makes me very sad to see this, there is definitely scaremongering and vote-grabbing going on here. The cull is so absolutely unnecessary, shark attacks are so incredibly rare compared to other forms of death or major injury, perspective on these issues is utterly lost. What annoys me most is that politicians invariably seem to dislike using science and knowledge to make policy and decisions, and are so cowardly in never going against their own supporters where they are clearly wrong. More and more I think that politicians are worthless, cravenly fools who are really the last people who we should look to for leadership. Like, I have no fondness for sharks, but they play an important part of the food chain and the environment, I just see this as yet another misunderstanding of the natural world that seems to plague our political and business communities. It seems so many minds are just incapable of clearly making links between cause and effect so they just latch on to the simplest concept that they can - $1 plus $1 = $2. Sharks are scary and they can kill people = totally bad. Now that's a great mind at work! 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DiscoStu Posted January 4, 2014 What annoys me most is that politicians invariably seem to dislike using science and knowledge science and knowledge require thinking. no one ever won an election by getting the electorate to think. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
whitewind Posted January 4, 2014 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-03/carmody-in-defence-of-the-great-white-shark/5183396 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
naja naja Posted January 4, 2014 This is exactly the same as shooting lions in Africa, tigers in Asia, dingoes on fraiser island and wolves throughout the Americas. Well actually, not even the same cause we are land based creatures and so are they. But a shark is ocean based. If u choose to swim/surfu take on a certain risk. If that risk is too high for your liking, then stay out of the water. Simple solution and no1 has to die, not human not shark. If they grow legs, crawl onto the shore and start eating people, then maybe I'll reconsider, actually. No I won't I just described a crocodile and they are up north. I believe they are fully protected also. And rightfully so. Also all carcasses should be required to go to the museum for autopsy and to gain data from their deaths, or eaten. Fucking wasteful society we have, let's cull and discard. 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bush Turkey Posted January 4, 2014 I agree with killing a few but not what they are doing. Ive seen sharks increase over hear majorly! Beaches were never closed for sharks when i was growing up. Now Scarborough is shut multiple times a day from sharks. This "its their domain" Sentence that everyone throws around is crap IMO. We can make tools to be better in the water. Whos to say its not our domain? Check out a flyboard and tell me we suck in the water. You guys have no idea about the shark situation in Perth. Something is going on. Way too many sharks about these days. If its us that have caused the increase, its us who needs to fix it. We cant save the world. Its too late 70 percent of the world is water. They have enough domain. Humans own the shore Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
incognito Posted January 4, 2014 Yeah I think it sucks if it goes ahead. Aren't they a protected/endangered species? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
swampjrass Posted January 4, 2014 I live just down the road from gracetown ... I totally understand the gravity of the situation ... The majority of the community down here feels the same... If they closed the beaches every time a shark was within 500 meters of shore we would never be able to swim... The problem with the whites now is they associate boats and humans with food ... They should ban cage diving for a start... 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bush Turkey Posted January 4, 2014 Our last few attacks are not mistaken identity. The victims were eaten. Just have a look how much activity there is here with tagged sharks.... https://twitter.com/SLSWA Only 300+ sharks have been tagged. Heaps more untagged sightings as well. I really doubt they are endangered. They actually dont know what the white population is. Seeing as there is more ocean then land on this world and whites can inhabit 90 percent of it. Id say there is a hell of alot more then thought. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
swampjrass Posted January 4, 2014 I reckon it's a giant herring chomping cunts ... 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
swampjrass Posted January 4, 2014 True but whites seem to follow certain migratory patterns that rules a vast majority of the ocean out... I was told the last attack of gracies the white bypassed certain surfers and went straight for old mate... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhoenixSon Posted January 4, 2014 they do get culled, long line tuna vessels once in a while snag a shark. this is unintentional but the amount of sharks that i have seen has been a small but considerable amount, so would add up over australia. No need to cull an animal that reminds us land animals that we are not at the top of the food pyramid when swimming in the sea. media loves beating a drum about something not worthy of being on the news and then creating bullshit interest in some over hyped brain fart. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bℓσωηG Posted January 4, 2014 Im in WA currently , just got into the country again, caught the bus and then hitched to the beach as far as south point with my board , then proceeded to walk to round the corner to lefties ( a friggin mission ) as i got close ,i saw heaps a people in the carpark but no one in the surf thought it was weird .. as i got closer met folks who said there had just been a fatal shark attack ,howz my luck eh? ... saw the helicopter on the beach. I was advised not to go out , which i didnt ,mostly out of respect for the deceased but also because i was a wee bit scared .. i mean theres a tonne of sketchier spots than the one up the beach that the young father of two was killed , apparently he bled to death in 40 seconds .. itd be a quick death but yeah havent been out since either . Im takin up mountain biking lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Foo Posted January 4, 2014 Are there really more sharks? Or are there more helicopters? Was down south yesterday in an area ive been going to since i was born, never heard of shark problems there. Anyway a fcking helicopter kept circling the boat, got so low i thought it was going to land. This was close to a swimming beach too, that was open after. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bush Turkey Posted January 4, 2014 Are there really more sharks? Or are there more helicopters? Was down south yesterday in an area ive been going to since i was born, never heard of shark problems there. Anyway a fcking helicopter kept circling the boat, got so low i thought it was going to land. This was close to a swimming beach too, that was open after. More sharks. Id rather surf down south then in Perth. Sooo many sharks here. Even more bullshark sightings in the river and further up river then usual Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Foo Posted January 4, 2014 They are going to bait down south too. I think the location is dependent on factors other then sharks. If there really are 10x more sharks near our coasts, figuring out why should be the first point of business. Indiscriminately catching/killing large fish to quell media hype shouldn't be the answer. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
whitewind Posted January 4, 2014 I strongly suspect that increased activity near the coast is down to decreased food further out. Perhaps all those enormous fishing vessels are to blame. We are seriously overfishing our oceans. The only reasons why sharks would suddenly go for human flesh is if the easier stuff hadn't vanished. We're a menace. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
~shameless~ Posted January 4, 2014 White winds hit the nail on the head, also probably due to the fact that there are more people surfing now. Kill big sharks near the coast and small sharks will move in from further out , in much greater numbers probably. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
terracottacactus Posted January 4, 2014 Are there really more sharks? Or are there more helicopters? This is something that I've been asking this summer. We are having a lot more sighting recently sure, but how much is due to the fact that there are constant choppers flying around spotting these sharks? The whole concept of putting bait a km out from the sure to attract sharks over 3m sounds fucking terrifying. There was a big rally today in Cottesloe to protest the cull, but who knows what difference it's going to make. We'll just have to wait and see what happens. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AnthromorphicGerbil Posted January 4, 2014 I hate the news media and all their bullshit and all the idiots who eat their bullshit like its a meal. I especially hate those stupid fucking morning show fuckwits. All this hate coming from someone who only see's their bullshit briefly passing through a room where a family member watches the box religiously and I do my damndest to avoid it. I think it sucks that people would want to eradicate a species out of fear but more likely so they can gain a sense of power over something that will never affect their safety yet manages to scare the shit out o them simply because it was scary on the news...... I bet they all have chicken buckets on their heads lately as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bush Turkey Posted January 5, 2014 another attack today. A bodyboarder had his fin bitten at Claytons Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
