Avila Beach Victim

[JustAddWater]

This morning's news said fisherman sighted a very large shark taking a seal about 500 yards from shore. They interviewed a University biologist from the area who admitted that most accepted knowledge of great white behavior is really just theory. He thinks the shark may stay in the area until the food source is depleted. Seems like it doesn't get more basic than that.

 

[divemed06]

Bonnet Ray once bubbled...
What's wrong is that we have no idea what the long term effects on the environment would be. Is it really ok to stop sharks coming into shore so that we can feel safe whilst we swim. I don't think so, there is more to this world than human beings and we need to recognise and respect that we are just small part.

I am sick of the number of times I have seen people damage the reef as they dive on by, and expeling sharks from our shores is just another example of this attitude that humans are the most important species. We stick our roads where we want, kill the rainforest and now we want to stop sharks swimming close to the beaches. What next? Will we ever learn that we are part of the environment not it's masters?

Yes this sort of attitude makes me mad and sad, there seems so little respect for anything these days.

I agree with you Bonnet that we should be more enviromently responsible, however, I would sacrafice any animals life to save a human one (which IMHO most people would). That being said, if we can find a way to protect swimmers/surfers from being attacked by sharks with MINIMAL disruption to the shark environment, great. At the present time, do we need to act now in this regard....well, the statistics are pretty clear that we don't; shark attack numbers are very low. We should, however, keep studying shark behaviour with one of the main objectives being to protect humans . Easy to say, not so easy to do.

 

[Dyno Bill]

In reading the proceeding posts and watching the news it would seem that 10 participants in ocean sports have been critically attacked off Southern California since the 1950's. If thats correct I dont think the incidence of attack is very high. I live accrossed the street from the surf in Redondo Beach Cal. and yesterday there must have neen between 100-200 surfers in the water in front of my appt. and thats a week day in a 2 mile stretch of beech. Who knows how many surfers were wet yesterday in California but I believe it was a ton. I was once told that when you are in the ocean in So Cal you are ALWAYS within striking distance from a large preditory
animal but we just arn't on the menu as it is. I dont personally feel that we are at risk from the marine life anyway near as much as they are from us. In fact I know that being the owner of a collection of spear guns that I have been a much larger threat to them than they to myself. I think that statistics will show that skate boards are a much greater threat to man than the marine life we have been discussing. The military is the only entity that would spend money developing a technoligy as discribed due to the lack of financial return promised by the general public so I dont think it will ever see the light of day. Just my thoughts.
Bill

 

[Zagnut]

Zen once bubbled..

I for one support the development of a technology that keeps sharks several miles off shore for the safety of humans, it's only a matter of time before such a technology takes place zeN

In your fourth post to this thread you said "keeps sharks SEVERAL MILES off shore for the safety of humans."


Zen later bubbled...

Zagnut you win nothing, nothing was said about altering a whole eco-system, some of you people have been so slanted by the environmental extremism that you seem to abhor your own species, a repellant system might be used personally for a field diameter of 25 yds, or perhaps a beach area, there is NOTHING unreasonable about this and this will not irrepairably damage the eco-system

In your last post directed at me you said,"a repellant system might be used personally for a field diameter of 25 yds, or perhaps a beach area,"

Two different things completely. I can support the second idea. I can not support the first idea. From several miles to 25 yds or a beach area.... a big difference.

Mind you, I personally did not claim to win anything, but I don't see how you can insinuate that you seem to have "won" this arguement when you have clearly changed your stance on this issue.

When the point doesn't prevail, change the point until it does?...

That doesn't seem like "winning", it seems more like compromising...which is probably what this issue will take. BOTH sides doing a little compromising to find a solution that everyone can live with...including the sharks.

 

[zeN||]

You're right, I made a statement that does not express my thoughts, I don't mean we should push sharks off every coastline, but I would designate SOME beaches shark free, after more thought perhaps 1/4 mile would be more reasonable, though that area would be hotly debated, whatever it takes to make a user friendly watering hole, I am also refering to a device that could be used for an individual swimmer, thanks for the clarification zeN

btw you lose! j/k