Shark Hunt in Western Australia

[molksmith]

Well,
everyone has to cave in to the media and the public wants blood.

Here is the link to the news piece on the shark attack/Shark Hunt

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200503/s1327524.htm


and here is the email address of the WA Fishery Office if you feel like getting pro-active and protesting what will surely be a lot of dead sharks..

headoffice@fish.wa.gov.au

 

[Scubaroo]

what will surely be a lot of dead sharks..[/email]

Actually it will probably result in no dead sharks. If they aren't positive that they've identified the particular shark, they won't take one - especially if it is a great white as now believe, which are a protected species in Australian waters.

I don't believe any sharks were killed in light of the recent South Australian attack despite widespread searching.

 

[molksmith]

Thank the Stars....
How can they print that they are hunting for a shark that is endangered?

D

 

[molksmith]

And how can they identify it?

 

[scubamad]

It would be impossible to track down the right shark, don't know how they can publish this but they do, it's awful.

 

[Scubaroo]

Easy - someone (probably the Fisheries Minister) can override the protected status when the animal is considered to be a threat to humans.

Not a very popular decision with many people. This whole argument was hashed out just a few months ago on Scubaboard when the last fatal attack occured in South Australia.

 

[molksmith]

I remember that thread and i posted to it. But I am still wondering how they can ID it. Given the fact that nobody knows exactly how big the shark was, do they kill every white shark in the 5m range? And usually with really large pelagics they have a rather wide range and movement. Chances are that fish is gone...

 

[JustAddWater]

...Chief, I'll find him for three, but I'll catch him and kill him for ten...for that you get the head, the tail, the whole damn thing.
Arrrgh.

 

[molksmith]

...Chief, I'll find him for three, but I'll catch him and kill him for ten...for that you get the head, the tail, the whole damn thing.
Arrrgh.

now that's funny

 

[alcina]

Seems they have called off the search after not being able to locate a similar shark.

No species ID has been made. At this time it appears that no sharks will be officially killed. Who knows what the fishermen out at the Abrolhos will decide to do on their own - but I like to think positively.