Should the Shark Nets stay?

[Parso]

The most unfortunate side effect of Shark nets is the slow torturous death of so many harmless and unfortunate sea creatures (along with the death of many sharks).

It seems that the dramatic redection in shark numbers has done nothing to reduce the unfounded fears of councils and governments.

Every summer an article will appear in the local paper, discussing the pros and cons of Shark netting, and as usual nothing ever changes.

I honestly believe the answer lies in the education of our young ones, and hopefully one day, we will be able to swim safely , knowing that marine life is not being slaughtered.

As divers, we all know what the chances are of being attacked by a shark are. A lot of us actually go looking for them.

The people most responsible for the majority of unfounded fears, for most people, is the press. Once they stop sensationalizing every shark incident, I believe the situation for the poor shark will improve.

Lets hope so.

Parso

 

[sailingk8]

Parso I agree. It is up to us to speak out against the ignorance, to talk about these issues everywhere, not just amongst ourselves. Our Ocean creatures are being killed in numbers too large every day and unless we speak up against the ignorance, against the cultural selfishness these creatures we discuss here today will be gone. I personally don't want to have to tell my grand children we were lucky we got to see things you now can't. I refuse to live in a world with no sea turtles, no big shark, no whales, no swordfish. It's bad enough we ate all the Atlantic Cod (Bluefin, Red Snapper, etc.)!


@ drrich2 - Thanks. Ignorant people don't get that without the snakes they get more rats, oh yeah!

Funny story: I was paddling for the second time ever, in my sit on kayak in the swamp here in Virginia when I came up behind a 8' Copperhead swimming lazily down the canal. I stopped paddling and got my camera out letting the kayak glide forward. I was gilding a little too fast towards this big guy when I started to think, OMG what if it suddenly turns on me, will it spring at me? Right at that moment the snake turned and lifted, arching backwards and stared at me. I froze in utter fear, as apparently it also did because the next second it turned and fled swimming as fast as it could away from me.

I started breathing again and then I heard the laugh from behind me. RandyG saw the whole thing and told me, that the snake and I did the exact same motion at the the exact same time only I hadn't fled. I'm actually terrified of snakes but for some reason lately I seem to want to go towards dangerous critters to get a closer look ( Like the 8' Bull shark I saw in Florida with Kevin Metz)
I think it's RandyG's bad influence on me.

 

[ScubaDiverRyan]

Hmmm i don't know thats a tough one.