IS it because we have fished out their habitat?
Is it that the water temperature has changed?
Is it because they have increased in number?
Is it because surfers wear seal black wet suits?
Is climate change creating issues for them?
Is it that there are more people in the water thereby improving the odds or
Is it because we all have cameras and we take many pictures of the same shark?
It could be anything and yet we humans haven’t the slightest clue as to why there appears to be more great whites invading our waters and having the occasional feast on us.
Yet without the slightest bit of proven data, our so called intelligent politicians have with their ‘kneejerk reaction’ legislation,decided to ‘cull’ this protected species.
What is the answer one might ask? Well, everyone could keep out of the water but that’s unrealistic. So what do we do? The answer is simple for intelligent and sensible people.
Research for the cause of this apparently increasing phenomenon and then take the appropriate and correct actions to lessen the effects. After all, if its water temperature that is responsible, then catching a few will not solve the problem.
Wake up those who trespass on another’s world. Mankind was born to the land while fish inhabit the water world. Would you kill off all the African wild animals because you wanted to hike in their territory? Why kill these wonderful animals because we want to enter their world. Our earth has a myriad of worlds and animal species and if all are to survive then we all must find a way to live together.
One must be sympathetic towards people who meet such a terrible terrifying death but the question still remains. If surfers and swimmers wish to risk entering the world of the shark with all its terrors and dangers, should we respond by killing all the creatures in that world?
Its human nature to be caught up in sensationalised events in our community but they often hide the real problems which should demand our priority attention. For instance since 1791 there have been 216 deaths caused by sharks in Australia which equates to about one death per year while every year we average 2320 suicides which equates to about six lives per day.
Sharks do what sharks do – bite and kill to eat and if people go into the water they risk being eaten. We are advised to not kill snakes but to keep away from them and leave them alone. The same advice should apply to the Great White.
John Wilkins,
Kalgup
