Feeding Sharks

[DiveGolfSki]

I'm sure many on this site have read of the latest shark attack incident described in this article:

http://www.cdnn.info/news/safety/s050605b.html

Shark attacks are inevitable but after reading the article, I was drawn to the section:

According to the DEMA dive industry marketing group and PADI, a US-based company that sells diver certification cards, sports apparel and interactive shark feeding thrill dives, shark feeding is a multi-million dollar industry that "rebrands" sharks as cute, playful and friendly just like dolphin and orca aquarium shows.

Should shark feeding be allowed? If the practice of feeding bears is frowned upon, why not sharks?

 

[divetahoe]

I'm sure many on this site have read of the latest shark attack incident described in this article:

http://www.cdnn.info/news/safety/s050605b.html

Shark attacks are inevitable but after reading the article, I was drawn to the section:



Should shark feeding be allowed? If the practice of feeding bears is frowned upon, why not sharks?

I'm not a fan of feeding, but I think it shouldn't be banned outright. In theory I believe it should be allowed, just not anywhere near where other non-caged activities take place. Given the range that sharks travel, though, I don't know if attempting to segregate watersport activities is practical.

The quote that PADI is an agency that "sells diver certification cards, sports apparel and interactive shark feeding thrill dives..." is interesting at best. Being a PADI instructor, somewhere along the way I must have forgotten that all I do is sell a card. I guess I can skip the skills now..

 

[novicediver]

Shark feeding has NO place in the diving industry. We don't go to Alaska and feed the bears, why do we think it should be ok to go to the ocean and feed the sharks. padi is completely irresponsible for endorsing this practice and I encourage people to contact padi to denounce it.

 

[2 Bar]

I have been on a shark feeding dive in Nassau and loved it. But your bear feeding comparison makes sense. It's not natural for sharks to get food that way, so somewhere down the line the ecosystem is being tweaked.

Just curious. If you which would you liked changed first: shark feeding or hunting sharks for fin soup or making swimmers feel safe? I'm not being sarcastic. This is a true thought.

 

[novicediver]

Both practices should be abolished. Hunting sharks for their fins wastes the animal and pushes many species ever closer to extinction. Shark feeding programs will do little to make humans safer, in fact it will do the opposite. Sharks in the area equate human presence with food and if they don't have the food, they could become aggressive. Awareness of marine ecosystems is essential, but it can be accomplished without feeding programs.

 

[Lost_At_Sea]

Not everyone has a chance to see a shark in the wild on a regular dive. If someone wants to pay others to see sharks then let that person pay to see a shark feeding. It doesn't harm anyone, unless the shark feeder cuts himself in the process. As long as someone wants to see sharks in the wild, then there will always be shark feedings.

 

[HB Diver]

No finning, No feeding!

Both upset the balance and have consequences on even the lowest (slowest?) in the food chain.

 

[H2Andy]

Should shark feeding be allowed? If the practice of feeding bears is frowned upon, why not sharks?

don't forget that CDNN hates PADI and shark feeding, so they are not exactly
an unbiased source

that said, i don't think it's a good idea to interact with wild animals by feeding them

what's that sign at every cage at the zoo and at national parks? "Don't Feed the
Animals."

there's a reason for that

 

[ScubaMarine]

Should shark feeding be allowed? If the practice of feeding bears is frowned upon, why not sharks?

I dove with a boat in Key Largo this weekend and another boat was feeding the nurse sharks. I agree watching is very cool. It is rare to get so many sharks into one place while diving. Observing their feed was awesome! But!!!!! I also agree that by feeding sharks they become reliant on divers for food and one day they will be hungry and the diver won't have any food. We all know how this one goes.

As for bears, when I was younger we once went to a garbage dump in Northern, MN were they fed bears. People were able to get out of their cars and throw food, any kind of food. Since then the act is not only frowned upon but unlawful. All the bears had to be relocated because they no longer had any fear of man, instead they knew that people had food. The sad part comes when a bear or other wild animal attacks looking for food and they end up killing the animal.

 

[Mike Veitch]

Shark feeding = fun!

personally i love a good shark feed...