Hey Perth Kiters!
I agree with those saying this stupid shark cull had been blown out of proportion. This token effort will not reduce the risk of attack, nor will the general shark population in WA be reduced in a measurable way.

Studies suggest traveling sharks are the man eaters and a high local abundance of whites does not necessarily increase the risk of attack . Sharks swim a bloody long way across the bight, up the WA coast and even to other countries . What is a baited hook 1km off the Cott gonna do ?? Feck all .

Sharks are required for healthy oceans that we enjoy skimming along , diving, spearing and line fishing in . Killing these animals for no benefit and just to make a scared public feel better is idiotic.

Anyone pro shark culls - stop being such a softy or take up snowboarding .

Haha .. Just two guys enjoying a bit of light wind fun in the userpic . Few too many home brews last night - shark cull rabble rabble rabble .

"If it can inconvenience me AND if it's scary AND if there's a chance it can kill me - kill it". The age of narcissism and convenience at it's finest. Sound like a bunch of kitesurfers.

After 11 years of kiting, the best experience I had with a kite was not the long walls of Peru or the desert lefts of the NW or the ledges down south or the flat water at Woodies with one other mate out (7-8 years ago) - it was when I cruised past a great white about 500m off Brighton last year.

Suppose it's different for different people but I would rather die from a shark attack in the ocean than in a car on the bitumen. Currently, my chances of the latter far outweigh the former.

Septic said..

Shark attack is a true horror. If we can somehow take steps to prevent it, we have to do it. Fish can make up for any losses in numbers, it's a law they follow, just ask Charles Darwin. They will make up the difference, trust in Mother Nature. Those who don't spend much time in the water are not really qualified to weigh in here. Please try not to let your emotions or correct political aspirations affect your opinion. It's all about love, your brothers and sisters, lets not allow them to be eaten. If we can prevent our brothers and sisters from being eaten alive, why not do something?

I have to say I'm with you septic. Whether it works or not is very debatable, but at least it's something. I always wonder at those (and most of us) who have way too much wealth, time and security to the point, we devalue a human life against a prehistoric animal. Where most humans (as a percentage) are just trying to survive day to day, we sit here and debate the ecological merits of taking some sharks out the water. I suppose all great civilisations throughout history at their peak got to the point where they had the luxury to debate such benign topics.

Septic said..

Shark attack is a true horror. If we can somehow take steps to prevent it, we have to do it. Fish can make up for any losses in numbers, it's a law they follow, just ask Charles Darwin. They will make up the difference, trust in Mother Nature. Those who don't spend much time in the water are not really qualified to weigh in here. Please try not to let your emotions or correct political aspirations affect your opinion. It's all about love, your brothers and sisters, lets not allow them to be eaten. If we can prevent our brothers and sisters from being eaten alive, why not do something?

I'm sorry, my mind just exploded. You just misrepresented Charles Darwin's theory on evolution and managed to sound like an evangelical minister all in the one sentence. I'm not letting my emotions get in the way - cold hard logic and common sense says the culls are a waste of time. Let's see how many "man eaters" these drumlines catch. By your own admission, the "fish" can make up for any losses in numbers. So why cull them in the first place if they are just going to breed and fill the gaps?

If it about saving life, there are many lower hanging fruits to have a go at.

For gods sake will you change that icon picture!!!

Peterc150 said..

What are we doing about bees?

They kill more people than sharks each year in Australia. Should we cull them? Exterminate them? Nuke them? Make everyone wear bees suits? Put bee-proof netting around all our buildings?

Or take preventative measures so that people who get anaphylactic shock from bee stings avoid bees where possible and carry an epipen?

I think effective prevention measures are order of magnitude better than politically motivated ineffective attempts at "cure" (culling).

Where can I get a shark bite epipen?

Peterc150 said..

* Early detection and alarm systems (such as tagging more sharks with radio trackers so they "Tweet" their location and can be tracked).
* Community education
* Increased scientific research

I don't disagree with this stuff like the drum lines not fool proof and not necessarily going to work but equally IMO not likely to hurt, but bottom line is there's been a whole bunch of attacks in recent years and it's not like there isn't 100's of baited hooks thrown over the side of a boat everyday or for that matter a whole bunch of sharks hauled over the side of the boat headed for the fish and chip shop.

Guess we could always catch a few and release them in your back yard......when was the last GWS attack in Melbourne?

Addikt said..

How I understand it some US research organisation offered to come and at their cost tag and research GWS but the greenies were the ones that cried that it was cruel and that they might not survive the "procedure" so I'm not sure......would that not have been an option regardless of the bait lines especially if they tag some of the big ones.......!!!!

Every clubbie I talk to is pro the bait lines, what about the lifesavers that volunteer their time to man the beaches keeping them safe for swimmers, imagine your child/partner gets eaten on a training run to making sure they are fit enough to be able to drag someone back to the beach.

Talk to the cray fisherman the abalone divers they are all saying they are diving in cages and would never venture into the water due to the number of sharks they see on their daily runs.

Like most things if we knew what was really swimming around us when we are out in the ocean I know I for one would start crying like a school girl with fear.

As far as I am concerned I do feel safer while no real justification but just the fact that knowing that a few big buggers are out the food chain.

The way I see it is we RAPE the earth whether it be mining, farming, fishing and housing while we don't see the instant effects as a shark copping some lead to the cranium on national TV they probably have the some if not worse repercussions over time......

I think we should have an auction and for a licence to catch anything 5m plus and the money can go to research and development and to finding better solutions/warning safety systems. I'm sure there would be some big game fisherman that would pay big coin for the opportunity an to take a 5m jaw to hang on the bar wall, but I guess that will start a whole new debate......LOL

I wonder how many of the protesters the other day at Cott had been to the beach in the last 6 months or had fish and chips that weekend.........I'm just saying............... !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stay safe peeps.........;)

Addikt said..

How I understand it some US research organisation offered to come and at their cost tag and research GWS but the greenies were the ones that cried that it was cruel and that they might not survive the "procedure" so I'm not sure......would that not have been an option regardless of the bait lines especially if they tag some of the big ones.......!!!!

Every clubbie I talk to is pro the bait lines, what about the lifesavers that volunteer their time to man the beaches keeping them safe for swimmers, imagine your child/partner gets eaten on a training run to making sure they are fit enough to be able to drag someone back to the beach.

Talk to the cray fisherman the abalone divers they are all saying they are diving in cages and would never venture into the water due to the number of sharks they see on their daily runs.

Like most things if we knew what was really swimming around us when we are out in the ocean I know I for one would start crying like a school girl with fear.

As far as I am concerned I do feel safer while no real justification but just the fact that knowing that a few big buggers are out the food chain.

The way I see it is we RAPE the earth whether it be mining, farming, fishing and housing while we don't see the instant effects as a shark copping some lead to the cranium on national TV they probably have the some if not worse repercussions over time......

I think we should have an auction and for a licence to catch anything 5m plus and the money can go to research and development and to finding better solutions/warning safety systems. I'm sure there would be some big game fisherman that would pay big coin for the opportunity an to take a 5m jaw to hang on the bar wall, but I guess that will start a whole new debate......LOL

I wonder how many of the protesters the other day at Cott had been to the beach in the last 6 months or had fish and chips that weekend.........I'm just saying............... !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stay safe peeps.........;)

Incorrect re: "Greenies" rejecting the US research organisation offer. It was the government who rejected the offer. They claimed that the wildlife might not be handled in accordance with local laws. And now they're catching and killing them with hooks? Whatever side of the debate you're on, that right there is just retarded hypocrisy.

wow the best part of this entire debate is how almost everyone, bar one or two who use their brains for reasoning, just picks one side, regardless of statistics or facts and just stick to their guns and refuse to look at the issue with an open mind and discuss compromises or alternative solutions.

First thing that grinds my gears is how everyone on the anti-cull side state all these bogus statistics about plane crash deaths etc. they are not taking the statistics into context. IE how many people fly per year vs how many die, how many actual accidents there are ( most accidents resulting in high number of deaths etc). same goes for when people quote how many more people die in the east coast from attacks without looking at figures PRE netting/drumming vs figures POST netting/drumming. there's a clear display of the decrease in number of attacks and fatalities.

The next is when people blindly state these drums will bring in more sharks and cause more kills with absolutely no factual information to support their argument, when at the same time arguing there is no scientific proof that drumming will work. IF this was the case then there should be shark attack frenzies on the east side of the country as they've had these drums out for years (based on your hypotheses).

The third is when people quote how many million sharks die per year without taking into consideration this number is not from "shark culling with drum lines" but from Asian markets fishing for fins etc, nor do they take the species into consideration. on average 100mil per year are killed, this figure in reality varies from 70 - ~200 mill. from some reputable website i found online (can't remember the link) they stated on average 600 sharks in QLD are killed per year from these drums/nets. above someone stated 900 something. So lets take 1000 to be fair, 1000 per year over the stretch of NSW - FNQ. that's only a microscoping 0.001% of the 100mil that die per year, not even a spec in the great scheme of life. So the 100mill is supposedly ~7% of their population, granted it is above sustainable levels (4.9%). but to put it into perspective it is 0.001% of 7% of a population, a number so infinitesimally small it has no impact on the eco system.

Qld has a significantly larger area that's baited and netted (nets being far more notorious for by-catch etc). So, using basic estimations it can be said that 100 sharks per year is an OVER ESTIMATION of how many could die in WA. 0.0001% of 7% . Anyone that has mathematic abilities above being able to count to ten should be able to see that this is an insignificant number and does not warrant the titles MASSACRE, MASS CULL, EXTERMINATION OF A SPECIES and all other such extravagant answers. Yes it's not ideal but it's a far cry from what everyone is suggesting is happening".

Now people saying it's okay to fish for food but not okay to kill sharks you're not looking at a whole picture. Sharks (large ones) eat seals and other larger sea life, who in turn eat fish. reduced fish population = reduced larger sea life population = reduced food for sharks = sharks increased hunger. Yes this is completely over simplified but it's purely to make an understandable point. You can't go and massacre one thing without it affecting the other, people harping on about the ecosystem being destroyed by culling a few sharks and being completely anti-cull but at the same time doing nothing about the drastic overfishing occurring in the world. That argument folds both ways but people generally only want to accept the one side of the coin.

I'm not saying it's the perfect solution but in my opinion it is better than doing nothing. A protected species with growing numbers while it's food supply is rapidly decreasing is also a great imbalance in the marine system.

Charl dv said..

I understand that people should have their own opinions and support what they feel is right, and good on you for doing it. In saying that, I have to say, to both parties, to use your brains. Research and build your own database of information before jumping on a band wagon and believing what ever is the next biggest hype.

www.theaustralian.com.au/nocookies?a=A.flavipes
ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/critical-issues-overfishing/
www.ypte.org.uk/environmental/over-fishing/29

These are some things that are actually worth talking about and fighting against, yes fish is food but it is by no means a necessity, it's a luxury. Why aren't we all up in arms, calling each other names and getting hysterical about these more concerning topics? I read a statement somewhere that if trends continue fish stock will be completely depleted before the end of the century. What will all these innocent sharks eat then? The reason you don't see anyone having such a bitch and moan about it though is because everyone is far too busy enjoying sunday fish n chips to care.

What a load of BS, everyone knows fish n chips night is Friday!

Gotta say I was out at Dutchies yesterday arvo while the fisheries boat was checking the drumline located off Cott groyne and the idea they are baiting hooks to attract sharks into an area that is inside of where I normally kite out to was making me feel very uncomfortable.

I would think the main target of these baited hooks are GW's but apart from a few that roam around Perth waters the majority have followed the whale migration and are now probably hanging around off Bremer Bay or are in the Bight.

How about moving the drumlines further out rather than attracting these guys close to shore???

This morning, the Subiaco Post (page 3) reported a 2.9m tiger was caught off Cottesloe Beach about 5pm on Tuesday. The story said people on the beach watched the anaimal 'thrashing about' as attempts were made to measure it. The Fisheries boat floated within 200m of the beach during this, it said. No mention of whether the tiger was dumped there, dead or alive, or towed out to sea.

default said...

alverstone said..

This morning, the Subiaco Post (page 3) reported a 2.9m tiger was caught off Cottesloe Beach about 5pm on Tuesday. The story said people on the beach watched as the anaimal 'thrashing about' as attempts were made to measure it. The Fisheries boat floated within 200m of the beach during this, it said. No mention of whether the tiger was dumped there, dead or alive, or towed out to sea.

as soon as the media hysteria stops, which it kinda has (really, they just cant be fcked heading out to sea each day), people forget about the bandwagon they were on and go back to their soy lattes and the issue whether to have 1 sugar or just half.. Until the next big thing.. lets talk about shale gas down south oh my, the outraaaaaage!!!

Spot on brother!!!

wishy said..

Peterc150 said..



What are we doing about bees?



They kill more people than sharks each year in Australia. Should we cull them? Exterminate them? Nuke them? Make everyone wear bees suits? Put bee-proof netting around all our buildings?



Or take preventative measures so that people who get anaphylactic shock from bee stings avoid bees where possible and carry an epipen?



I think effective prevention measures are order of magnitude better than politically motivated ineffective attempts at "cure" (culling).

Without bees there is no fruit or vegetables.

So all the vegetarians would die.....hmmm....not such a bad idea.

FYI: The kids at Beehive Montessori School near Leighton Beach have just set up beehives with the Dept of Ag to test if the mite that's killing bees across the world jumps ship from nearby Freo Port. On that basis, Cottesloe and Margaret River primary schools' kids should be allowed to have pet sharks with lasers on their heads ...