Kiteforum.com

You can't (or should not) interrupt the whole food chain for our recreational activities.
We are in the ocean to play, not to live.
Our arrogance has already destroyed so much.
We need the balance that each animal brings to the whole circle.
Every time we think we can control the animal kingdom with a managed solution, we just f*** things up.
Mr. Sharky is scary and I would not enjoy kiting in WA, but the worlds oceans are in trouble already, let's not talk about making it worse just so we can play with no fear.

Oldnbroken wrote:You can't (or should not) interrupt the whole food chain for our recreational activities.
We are in the ocean to play, not to live.
Our arrogance has already destroyed so much.
We need the balance that each animal brings to the whole circle.
Every time we think we can control the animal kingdom with a managed solution, we just f*** things up.
Mr. Sharky is scary and I would not enjoy kiting in WA, but the worlds oceans are in trouble already, let's not talk about making it worse just so we can play with no fear.

well said, sir.

Look I agree with the conservation perspective, but some of you need to get real and get off your philosophical high horse. Real people with real families have lost loved ones and it is increasing.

One could also surmise that the over fishing may also be one cause of shark attacks. Never heard of an attack north of the 26th parallel. Always thought they were too well fed. The whale migration is also a factor.

but yes it is a choice to go in the water I agree. This is a hard one. Just imagine it was your daughter or son taken by a shark, would you be so gregarious and altruistic then>

Take care and thanks for the warning. Has there been any credible speculation on why there has been an increase in attacks?

Westozzy wrote:Look I agree with the conservation perspective, but some of you need to get real and get off your philosophical high horse. Real people with real families have lost loved ones and it is increasing.

One could also surmise that the over fishing may also be one cause of shark attacks. Never heard of an attack north of the 26th parallel. Always thought they were too well fed. The whale migration is also a factor.

but yes it is a choice to go in the water I agree. This is a hard one. Just imagine it was your daughter or son taken by a shark, would you be so gregarious and altruistic then>

I get it you are afraid, and that fear is real. It is entirely normal to have fears, what I protest is that exterminating something is ever even talked about as a solution.
You might be too close to it see the real effect of what you are sugggesting

If you are real that you want to exterminate sharks (which we are on good way to be doing anyhow) over the few shark attacks, then what about all the other animals in the world? Surely you do not think the any kind of sustainable biological system could be sustained by humans alone?
Come to think of it, the human animal is pretty dangerous to other humans too? Probably more so than any other animal.

The clear effect of what you are saying is that any other animal that poses a threat to any human should be exterminated...just because they perceive it as dangerous. Well sh!t I guess human food stock ran dry because some dude has melissophobia...or

You really have to look at real data. How many people go in the water in the same area? How many are attacked?

I bet you have a much higher probability of getting killed on the way to the beach. Why is that somehow acceptable?

It gets me annoyed when you talk about getting off high horses. I am truly sorry for any loss of life, and things can be done to make it safer..but extinction just isn't a solution at all.
Propose solutions, work for them to be implemented.
Anecdotal evidence does not belong in discussions to validate who's opinion is more worth. Extinction is not sustainable.

The cynic in me thinks that the original post is an attempt to dissuade people coming over to WA to kite their local spots. You are far more likely to be killed by a moving vehicle than a shark.

Westozzy wrote:Just imagine it was your daughter or son taken by a shark, would you be so gregarious and altruistic then>

A regular opinion on those "I was attacked by a shark" shows, is that they don't blame the sharks... personally, if it was my daughter or son, I'd be less pissed at a shark, doing what it does, than at some dickhead behind the wheel of a car.

But if the beaches can be protected, it'd be a good idea to lobby to get it done. I'm sure there are plenty of beach-users who pay taxes...

Thanks for the warning though

sharks be eating people in margaret river for the same reason that lightning strikes people in florida all the time, it's not because god hates florida and bolts them, that's where the people are out all day golfing.

edt wrote:sharks be eating people in margaret river for the same reason that lightning strikes people in florida all the time, it's not because god hates florida and bolts them, that's where the people are out all day golfing.

Probably Bull sharks - they're the postal workers of the ocean. Great Whites are not IIRC that high on the list of "attacks humans" so it's odd that there's a concentration in W.A. of White attacks...

No one is suggesting that we "exterminate " all sharks, but we have almost daily sightings now of GWs close to our beaches. Fisherman are also commenting on the huge amounts of large GWS out there. The GWS have become more aggressive. During the last fatal attack a huge GW attacked a jetski that was trying to rescue the victim. A dinghy had its outboard pulled off by a GWS a few weeks ago.

Were not talking about the silly little reef sharks that most of you guys might see once in while.

TT, if any other animal in australia attacks and kills a human it would, no doubt, be destroyed. I hope this answers your question about other animals. Because GWs are protected species(god knows why as there appear to be plenty of them), nothing can be done.

Hopefully this will change.

From what I can gather the fisheries dept were aware of large sharks present in the area before a few of the attacks, yet there was no alert anywhere. Fortunately there is now a website detailing most shark sightings in australia, so this is one step forwar

These shark debates have been done to death on our local websites and Im not getting involved anymore as they generaly go nowhere.

My initial intention was not to trigger an argument as to what should be done but rather a genuine warning to others not to come to WA in the near future . Hopefully things will change in the next 3-4 years.

Happy kiting.

John