Shark feeding

[cdiver2]

Personally, I can see the risks as I've mentioned already, however I can also see the educational benefits that a shark feed... if properly conducted... can bring.

I saw the same thing Andy and wonder If the majority of people going to the feeds are new to diving and dont want to be identified because the majority at the moment ( that tend to be the more experienced divers ) are saying no ?

Also very supprised at the numbers, a lot of people have looked at the post but very few voted, it makes it hard to get a grasp of where things are going with this aspect of diving.

Dorsetboy, sorry I have to disagree I dont think there is any educational value at all with them just another way to make a buck.

 

[CBulla]

Its a deplorable act of bravado that I believe will have negative long term effects. This act of "feeding" with divers present to observe is teaching these predators that divers are not to be feared and at some point, someone is going to be attacked by one of the sharks who've become accustomed to having food presented by a diver. It could even be in a different area than the normal feeding zone, but becuase of the association of Diver = Food that the animal will be accustomed to, the diver will never even have a chance to figure out whats happening until its to late.

This same scenerio has been played out in FL for many years but with retiree's being the recieving benefactor of alligators eating muffin the dog, in some cases dragging the owners right into the water with them with some harshly maiming effects.

 

[docmartin]

it's a cold day and i feel like some flames may do me good. i am all for shark feeding. there are only 2 reasons that could speak against it: if it harms sharks and/or if it harms humans

does it harm shark?
no it does not. no one disputes that it alters behaviour. so what? that's only an issue if it altered their behaviour in a detrimental way. yes, they get trained to listen for a certain boat engine and they will learn to feed on some scraps that are offered to them through various methods ranging from chum to hand feeding. however, they do not come to rely on getting fed as they are not fed any substantial amounts of fish. the food is a teaser not a meal. they also become less shy towards humans. that does not hurt the sharks either (more about the humans below). Finally, the shark populations exposed to feeding are tiny.
on the other hand shark feeding benefits sharks greatly. let's face it, successful shark feeding operations have contributed greatly to the protection of sharks because economic interest is the most persuasive argument in preserving shark populations. the only reason that bans on shark fishing have been imposed in parts of the bahamas is the attraction of shark feeding. also, do you really think the great white would be protected in south africa and australia without the exposure it got through cage diving? many cage diving operations used to fish for sharks until they saw where the real money was. these are just the most obvious and tangible impacts. furthermore, shark feeding changes the whole perception of sharks even for non-participants. they hear that people do this and it obviously makes them at least question the wide held belief that sharks will kill anyone who gets near to them.

Does it harm humans?
first of all, humans that participate in shark feeding do so of their own will and as such accept the risks. they are in no position to complain if something happened. but guess what, despite all the people saying one day someone will get hurt it has not happened. yes, it is true that some feeders have suffered bites but that's a result of how the food is presented and not of shark feeding per se. hand feeding definitely carries risk and there are other ways to attract the sharks without humans directly handing it out e.g. the chumsicle at walkers, chum slicks, crates with fish parts... the reality is no participants have suffered any significant injuries much less did anyone get maimed or killed (to my knowledge - i look forward to having you present me with facts to the contrary) . and this despite thousands of shark feedings with tens of thousands of divers over many years. this is not a new practice after all although it has certainly grown enormously over the past 10 years. therefore, the nay sayers can hardly say there is not enough data to prove that it is safe.
have you been to a shark feed? no doubt the sharks are not very shy around the divers but i have never seen a shark approach a diver aggressively for food on a shark feed (unlike spearfisherman who actually carry food on them. that's a different issue. it is true that in areas with spearfishing sharks can get accustomed to the practice, lose their fear of humans and try to compete for the catch. the spearfisherman will then have to decide if he wants to give up the fish or take out the shark).
what about the risks for others not participating in the shark feeds? well, undoubtedly regular feeding at a site may increase the number of sharks in the vicinity. i have not seen evidence that they are more aggressive towards humans though. there is not the tiniest shred of evidence that shark attacks increased on sites with regular feedings.

the botom line: shark feeding does sharks more good than harm and there exists no evidence of a threat to humans. i don't care much why people participate e.g. overcome their fear in a controlled environment, thrill seeking, bravado, photo op, love of the animal, chance to see a creature they could not encounter otherwise... the fact is, the greater the interest in shark feeds the less interest in shark fin soup. don't get me wrong, i also prefer to dive with sharks in a more natural setting but it is getting more and more difficult to find the buggers. in our waters you used to see them all the time 15 years ago. today you basically see none.

bring on those flames

 

[docmartin]

one more thing. the bear and alligator comparison comes up all the time. although, the comparison seems compelling at first glance, the truth is sharks, bears and alligators have not much more in common than being animals that can potentially harm people. assuming that they behave similarly in similar situations takes quite a stretch of the imagination.

 

[CBulla]

I would like to extend invitation to you to come and visit down here for the duration of a year living on brackish water and take into your own habit the feeding of a wild alligator regularly. At a year, stop feeding the animal, and just go hang out in your back yard with it. Do that for a few weeks and tell me what sort of behavior is being exhibited.

The two problems this creates for those of us who are locals and swamp dwellers is that not only does it dissolve the fear of humans, but when these people who feed them LEAVE for the summer because its to hot, these animals go elsewhere for food. With their fear now abated, it was only a matter of finding a suitable replacement or their pets for a snack. Its a behavior that is taught to the animal.

Bears, alligators, or sharks - the animal makes no difference. When training or teaching that no fear needs to be shown to attain food and that food is the reward for agression towards a human, the results will be the same.

 

[cyklon_300]

The shark feeds are bringing heightened 'awareness' to a select few dive tourists and some non-divers watching Discovery Channel. They do nothing to affect commercial fishing ops, poaching, or those that are creating the ridiculous demand for shark fins.

The feeds are not conducted as educational exercises, their primary function is to generate income for the operators who offer them. There may be a minor ecomonic ripple effect for some locals involved in dive tourism, but I would doubt that many are having their standard of living raised as a result of these feeds.

The statistical probablility is that eventually a diver or wrangler is going to be severely injured and the ensuing lawsuits will probably determine the continued use of these feeds.

These feeds create an artificially aggressive portrayal of shark behavior and altho this certainly appeals to some, I find it analagous to watching a cockfight. Sure it makes for a great photo op, but I would much prefer the feeling of being fortunate to sight one in its natural surroundings doing what it normally does (which is usually casually cruising, not shredding anything moving).

I don't care for the underwater petting zoo approach to wildlife observation and won't support the businesses that promote them...just voting with the wallet.

 

[Bob3]

As soon as the sharks start rounding up critters for me, I'll be happy to share with them.
"Till then, they can get their own darn food, just like I do.

 

[docmartin]

Bears, alligators, or sharks - the animal makes no difference. When training or teaching that no fear needs to be shown to attain food and that food is the reward for agression towards a human, the results will be the same.

first of all, how does a shark feed reward a shark for aggression toward a human??? all the sharks i have ever seen on a feed pretty much ignore the humans and focus on the food. they do not display aggression towards humans and do not need to do so in order to get the food. therefore, your premise is incorrect.
second, i do not doubt your claims about alligators. however, they are not sharks and to liken their behaviour is ludicrous. even a salt water croc and an alligator show totally different behaviour especially when it comes to interactions with humans. and at least they are somewhat related. what makes you think you can draw parallels between sharks and alligators? all the facts speak against it. the kind of alligator incidents you allude to are well reported facts whereas there are no examples of similar incidents with sharks. why not?
if you want to argue against sharks feeds then use shark facts and not other denizens of the animal kingdom. otherwise why not argue against shark feeds using lions or salt water crocs. if you did a feed with those you would not have any chance to survive. you would not even survive moving among them without feeding them. all animals are not the same and these comparisons are pointless. need i mention an alligator (or bear for that matter) is not even a fish?

 

[CBulla]

I draw from experience, where do you draw your argument from?

I was born and raised in an environment where as a human I am not the only apex predator. A life spent growing up in the swamps and as a result I've had the opportunity to oberserve the end result of human meddling with wild animals. I've partaken in the demise of some of these over friendly agressors. It only took the friendly feeding of this apex reptile predator to destroy natural fear and it took a 30 cal rifle to end its life after it ate 3 neighborhood dogs and mangled a womans arm.

At what point does common sense say "Feed apex predators, and they are your friends" make sense with sharks which, like alligators, are mindless killers. I dont see one of them cry when it eats its young. I dont see it cry when you kill its mate, and I certainly dont hear it say "Ooops, sorry, thought you were feeding me".

Know why predators leave me alone in the wild when I go camping? Not because I have opposable thumbs. Because they arent fed by humans and fear me.

Know why those sharks dont eat the other divers? Because they dont move their hands, only the guy doing the feeding does. Rewarding the shark for showing up. What would happen if one of those people moved their hands? What would happen if someone were to dive near there not knowing these sharks are hand fed and put out a hand to fend off the shark. More likely than not, that diver is going to be missing digits or even a hand as the shark tries to "feed" as he has been taught to from divers.

 

[CBulla]

A brief search on Google brought up a few articles on a recent shark attack on a diver. Also being spotted in the Gulf of Mexico are Macos, which are known not to fear humans. A great white is reported to have also attacked some divers trying to get back to their boat off St Augustine about Jan 10, but the divers were unharmed. These are unprovoked attacks.

http://news.google.com/news?q=shark+attack+diver&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&edition=us&filter=0

Why add chum to the water? For a thrill? So it can be EXTREME DIVING? If you need a thrill that bad, try swimming through a school of jellyfish and try not to get stung...thats something to brag about at least.