Another Surfer killed in Australia.

[Rick Inman]

Uncle Pug: I have read many of your posts and have a lot of respect for your input. By killing the largest sharks, we would eliminate the sharks that are most capable of sucessfully reproducing. It's the final crushing blow to a species; a species that we are already greatly hindering their chance of survival.

Obviously UP never saw StarTrek IV.

 

[jbd]

If we just arbitrarily kill anything because it harms us, don't you think that we would be an endangered species by now?

Certainly would be hard on suspected murderers and drunk drivers who maim and kill others.

 

[Tresj2]

I agree. I hate seeing animals get killed but if they've been into contact with humans and have attacked, they should be killed to protect others. We do the same with bears...

For your information: It has never been scientifically proved that (Great white) sharks develop a taste for something once they've had a bite. This is a big misunderstanding. With all due respect for the family and relatives to the deceased, if the surfers are in an area where they know the sharks are around, they take unnecessary risk by floating and peddling on the surface, appearing to be an animal in distress (by which they then become prey for the great white). Research has indicated that sharks attack by sight after when they've located a potential prey (by smell, sight or sensing disturbance in the water). When floating on the surface like a dark shadow against the bright sky, anything will look like a dolphin, seal or what have you on the menu of the great white. It's a terrible accident, but I doubt if killing the sharks will be any solution.

We don't go around shooting all lions in a national park in Africa, when some safari tourist get's out of his car and get's devoured. We all know that it is stupid and dangerous to get out of the car in the mids of a group of lions. So why do we expect the sharks to stay away when we go recreating in their habitat when we know the risks. The father of Peterson (the surfer) has the wisdow to publicly object to the killing of these sharks, because he feels the same way, despite the fact that it was his son who got killed.

Gurt

 

[farrakhan]

Well, let me just start off by saying I'm absolutely disgusted with some of what I have read in this thread. I own a dive shop in Adelaide and my business will suffer untold revenue losses because of this attack. I also live one beach over from where this gentleman was taken on Thursday. With that said the best thing to return my business back to normal and to make me feel safer as I swim in the water would be to have the shark killed. BUT this isn't about my business, or about my perception of safety this is about the survival of a species that is on the threatened species list. Are we that self absorbed as humans to truely believe that when a shark attacks a person that it is the sharks fault. If we were to kill a human everytime a human had the urge to eat we would all be dead within the first minutes of our life. The shark is doing nothing out of the ordinary. It wants to eat, see's a person doing a great impression of a wounded seal, and feeds. I have well over 1000 dives off the coast of Adelaide and I have never ever been worried about these animals. I won't go into any statistics but we all know that the chances of being attacked by a shark are miniscule. I send out my thoughts and prayers to the family of Nick Petterson. I know opinions are like and everyone has one, but lets let go of this 1970's mentality that there are sharks out there hunting man and if we are to do nothing about it untold numbers of humans will be taken. Shame on those who support the killing of these animals, ecspecially those halfway across the world. It has been 19 years since anyone was attacked by a shark off the shores of Adelaide. As the snapper are running there is a higher probability that the sharks will be in the area. All South Australians know this, and knowing this all South Australians make thier own informed decisions as to get into the water, or to stay out of the water. Nick Petterson took a calculated risk and lost. We don't remember the hundred's of thousands of people that have taken to the water this month alone who have not been attacked by sharks, we remember this isolated incident and scream for vengence. Also shame on some of the manufacturers of "shark repelling technology" for their tastless advertisment in the weekend paper. For those of you that don't get to read the Adelaide papers page 1-6 had stories on the shark attack and page 8 had a quarter page advertisement for "shark repelling technology" I will not use the name of the manufacturer as to avoid any legal ranglings, but I believe it was in extremelly bad taste and will not personally endorse or sell these products. Playing on people's fears to make a quick buck is not what this industry is about. My customers are statistically more likely to die in a car accident on the way to a dive site, a heart attack, or being hit by a car. But I don't stock air-bags, seatbelt's, or pacemakers in my store. I feel like I am rambling but I think it needs to be said, we as humans have the choice to avoid confrontations with sharks by not going into the ocean, but once in the water we are no longer the top of the food chain and the quicker we realize that the quicker we will stop calling for sharks to be killed when we invade go into their territory and are accosted.

profanity censored by Snowbear

 

[Squalus]

I have recently seen a couple of documentaries that indiate that there is a population of GW's that hunt, loosely, in a group. They are in the area of Australia and New Zealand. Through tagging and other research methods the scientist think that this is a family--sort of like an elephant herd.

I watched a documentary on GW's by Discovery, called; "Air Jaws I and II", they did cover that they do rove in loose packs. When one makes a kill another one, probably bigger than the other will come in and feed as well. In the show they had about 14 coming in, the largest one leading the pack.

 

[Ed_Dman]

It's a tragic news! My condolences goes out to the friends & family of the surfers!

I read that the authority is planning to kill the sharks! With all respect, I don't killing the sharks is going to solve any problem.

More humans lives were taken on the road in the pass one year than the total of shark attacked in the past 10 years. Imagine how many sharks are going to be killed for the mistake of a couple? If we are going to kill the sharks for the death of the surfer, then we should also kill the car makers or destroy all the cars, which takes more lives than the whole population of sharks! The bottom line is, killing the sharks are not going to solve any problem.

My heart, prayers & condolences goes out to the friends & family of the victim!

Ed. :scubadive

 

[Chaseh]

I'm sorry if this has been addressed, I haven't read the whole thread, but am I clear that Uncle Pug is saying that all species that are large enough to threaten people should be killed, or was it poorly worded and he was advocating the hunting of the proven killers?

If it's the former, wow! Can't believe he's an employee of this board. He has no business here, or more so, no business going in the sea.

Why would you wanna turn their environment into yours? Stick to the quarrys then.

I'm not going to go on and on why this is insane, the scope it would mean, how wrong it is, but I have to mention that I've been bitten by a damsel fish and now feel that they should all be slaughtered.

 

[opiniongirl]

It's amazing how humans react to things - very tragic for the family. It's funny, you end up diving with these fascinating creatures and they are truly amazing and beautiful, but without experiencing it, it's hard to imagine having that emotion.

Fear is so powerful.

 

[Scubaroo]

I haven't read the whole thread

Can't believe he's an employee of this board. He has no business here, or more so, no business going in the sea.

Well you might want to read the whole thread, and have been a member for a little longer, before you make ridiculously judgemental assessments like that.

Also, this board doesn't have employees - it has volunteers.

 

[Chaseh]

Well you might want to read the whole thread, and have been a member for a little longer, before you make ridiculously judgemental assessments like that.

Also, this board doesn't have employees - it has volunteers.

well, that excuses it then. You showed me. Kill em all. Sea urchins too.