AN AMERICAN man was killed in a shark attack while diving off Rottnest Island, Perth

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I noticed the following two comments:

The attack happened about a kilometre off the north of Rottnest in overcast conditions that are often connected with shark attacks.

"This time of the year on these grey, dark days, it seems to be the time that these attacks occur," Mr Barnett said.


I haven't studied shark behaviour, so maybe this is common knowledge, but I didn't realize that spring/grey days were a (more) common factor in shark/human contact.

Presuming it's true, is it just that one geographical area, or in general?

If so, I wonder if it's more seasonal (as in "spring") and that there just happen to be more grey days then, or what sort of other relationship factors there might be.

Yes Great White Shark attacks are very much a "seasonal thing" here in WA. During this time of year the annual Humpback Whale migration is taking place - the Humpbacks are returning to Southern waters after giving birth to young further up north. During the migration GWS follow the migration. So historicaly this is the time of year when fatal shark attacks take place, another common factor between GWS shark attacks locally at least is the grey overcast conditions that seem to go with them.

As someone else mentioned this is the second shark attack fatality in the last two week, in the Perth Metro area, the other death involved a swimmer about 300m off shore (@8m of water). Its also the third death in WA in 7 weeks, this one was of a surfer in the South West.

This is what caused the order for the shark to be caught - which was more a matter to keep some people happy. On a side note no GWS have been caught or any shark by fisheries, and that order has been removed/ or no further action will be taken.
 
As someone else mentioned this is the second shark attack fatality in the last two week, in the Perth Metro area, the other death involved a swimmer about 300m off shore (@8m of water). Its also the third death in WA in 7 weeks, this one was of a surfer in the South West.

This is only the second confirmed shark attack. The swimmer may have been a shark attack but there is no concrete evidence of this. They found his swimsuit with damage that could have been caused by a shark. This means that it also could not have been ... and even so who can say if it was pre or post mortum.
 
As long as people have this mistaken idea that their life is worth more than that of another species there will be this type of reaction. Had the shark jumped him as he was going to his car and stole his wallet, then bit him I'd see where a capture to kill order would be appropriate as it should be for carjackers. As it is he was in the shark's back yard, on it's dinner table, or maybe raiding it's fridge and in so doing invaded the shark's home. Just as I would shoot any intruder into mine, the shark took the action that was natural for it. Since they don't have cops down there and they haven't designed a 9mm that allows a fin to pull the trigger, the shark has to use what it has handy.

Jim, I agree with a lot of what you post but I'm having a hard time getting my head around this. Do you really think that a humans life is not worth more than that of other species? I think my life is worth more than my dinners life. If for example we had the hypothetical choice of killing this particular shark before it attacked this diver, or allowing it to live knowing it would cost this man his life, which option would you take? As for shooting someone dead for breaking into your house and trying to steal your things...? That strikes me as putting a pretty cheap price on a persons life. They'll be dead for a long time.

I really don't think these kind of attacks are a result of sharks hunting for food. It seems to me if people really were on the menu for sharks, no one could ever go in the water.

More likely this is mistaken identity (for a seal) or curiosity, a problem when all you have to investigate things with is a mouth full of teeth.

Trying to catch and kill this animal after the fact is pointless, They don't get a 'taste' for human flesh, and it won't exactly teach the others a lesson...
 
Why is it important to mention the nationality of the victim? Just curious as it is all in bold that he was AN AMERICAN. Are Americans more or less likely to be attacked by a shark while diving in Australian waters?

Maybe we taste different than the locals? Or maybe the shark-who I presume is Australian, unless he was also on vacation, should not have had the audacity to attack an American. I don’t know.
 
Why is it important to mention the nationality of the victim? Just curious as it is all in bold that he was AN AMERICAN. Are Americans more or less likely to be attacked by a shark while diving in Australian waters?

Maybe we taste different than the locals? Or maybe the shark-who I presume is Australian, unless he was also on vacation, should not have had the audacity to attack an American. I don’t know.

Well, Americans are generally higher in fat content than other nationalities ... so it's possible that we taste different.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
Well, Americans are generally higher in fat content than other nationalities ... so it's possible that we taste different.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
AHA! So from this we can derive that the shark was not on a diet then?
 
AHA! So from this we can derive that the shark was not on a diet then?

Shark diets often consist of fat mammals ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
From Perth Now
Shark alert given before attack
by:phil Hickey From:The Sunday Times October 29, 2011 4:50PM 26 comments

A TAGGED great white shark was detected off Rottnest Island two weeks before the fatal attack on an American scuba diver last Saturday.

The predator is among 125 white pointers which have been fitted with acoustic tags that alert authorities.

Texan George Wainwright, 32, was mauled by a 3m great white while scuba diving 500m off Little Armstrong Bay.

This week the Department of Fisheries revealed a tagged great white was detected just before noon on Thursday, October 6, at Bickley Point, east of where Mr Wainwright was taken.

The shark was picked up by a network acoustic receiver, one of 20 along the metropolitan coast.

As part of a two-year research project, department officers have installed the devices between Ocean Reef and Garden Island, and at Rottnest, to monitor the sharks' movements.

The department says 125 great white sharks have been fitted with tiny transmitters. The acoustic receivers record when a tagged shark passes nearby, relaying a satellite transmission to a station in Canada and, from there, an email is sent to WA researchers.

Mr Wainwright's death last weekend was the third fatal shark attack in WA this year.

The Rottnest attack prompted the State Government to order fisheries officers to trap and kill the beast in a bid to protect the public. It was the first time in WA history such an order was made, but the shark was not found.

Aerial shark patrols from Yanchep to Mandurah have been running since Tuesday and will operate daily until April.

The solution? Sharks may get their own Social Network... (a follow-up from Perth Now)

Shark SMS warnings probed

by:Stiven Pucar From:The Sunday Times November 05, 2011 5:00PM 9 comments

FISHERIES bosses and the State Government are considering a shark hotline to text warnings about attacks or sightings after a plea from beach-goers.

Fisheries Department chief executive Stuart Smith said his officers were looking into a text alert system, similar to one used by the Fire and Emergency Services Authority to warn people living in at-risk bushfire areas of threatening fires.

Surf Life Saving WA uses Twitter to alert people of shark sittings and attacks, and Mr Smith said his officers would also investigate using social media to warn beach-goers.

It comes after three fatal shark attacks off WA in two months.

South-West residents voiced their concerns at a public forum in Busselton last week, where they called on fisheries to establish the shark alert text message service.

"We are interested in developing a system that works best for our purposes," Mr Smith said.

"We will evaluate the effectiveness of the current alerts in place and use something similar or build an entirely new system."

Fisheries Minister Norman Moore this week told The Sunday Times the State Government would undertake a full review of all shark mitigation measures and tools, and would explore the text alert proposal.

"Such an option would usually only prove useful to alert people of sightings when they were out of the water," he said.

"However, if the research advice indicates it could be a viable and cost effective shark mitigation tool, the State Government will consider it among any other options identified by the review."

SLSWA services coordinator Craig Bowley said command centre staff, who were in constant communication with helicopter patrols, lifeguards and other clubs, managed the social media use.

"The use of Twitter has been a great communication tool and very effective," he said.

"We used it last Monday when two great whites were spotted of Rottnest. Twitter is updated every hour and even more frequently if there is an incidence."

Professor Shaun Collin, from the University of WA's Oceans Institute, supported the text messaging alert system concept because it would benefit both the public and researchers.

"I think anything that disseminates information about shark sightings, aggregations and/or movement to the public would be a step in the right direction," he said.

"A co-ordinated network of communication could also be very useful to fisheries scientists and researchers."

Prof Collin said the public should also be educated about sharks to help them understand their role in the ecosystem.

"However, since there is so little known about sharks, their movement patterns and the influences of environmental cues on their behaviour, the Government could consider funding more focused research," he said.
 
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