Shark repellant

[gangrel441]

Not sure if you guys have heard anything about this, but it sounds promising to me, especially if they can get fishermen to buy into it...

http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/sharkweek/news/sharkrepel.html

 

[gangrel441]

In one of the tests off Bimini island in the Bahamas, the researchers dropped a "cloud" of the mixture from a boat into a chum-filled sea of feeding sharks.

"Populations of up to twelve Caribbean reef sharks were reduced to zero within 180 seconds when 200mL doses of the semiochemical mixture was introduced into the feeding zone ... . It works very, very well," Stroud said.

The sharks responded to even minute proportions of the chemical and the smaller fish in the area were totally unaffected by the repellent.

Hmmmm....surprised this hasn't caught anyone's interest. If it works the way it says, it could be really big for reducing sharks as a percentage of bycatch in commercial nets and accomplish a great deal in the way of repelling sharks from public beaches and surfing events, thus reducing the already miniscule but high profile incidence of attacks. It doesn't appear to harm the animals, plays directly on natural chemical compounds and the instincts of the sharks, and has an almost immediate effect.

I too love getting wet with these wonderful animals, but I think right or wrong, it might be in their best interest to stay clear of swimmers in the water and from the commercial fishermen who aren't deliberately targeting them.

 

[BIGSAGE136]

Hmmmm....surprised this hasn't caught anyone's interest. If it works the way it says, it could be really big for reducing sharks as a percentage of bycatch in commercial nets and accomplish a great deal in the way of repelling sharks from public beaches and surfing events, thus reducing the already miniscule but high profile incidence of attacks. It doesn't appear to harm the animals, plays directly on natural chemical compounds and the instincts of the sharks, and has an almost immediate effect.

I too love getting wet with these wonderful animals, but I think right or wrong, it might be in their best interest to stay clear of swimmers in the water and from the commercial fishermen who aren't deliberately targeting them.

I was pleasently surprised to learn that the protection of shark populations was the initial reason for the research.

 

[Hoosier]

What happens

if it remains an unknown residuals in ocean and is overused.
if it doesn't disperse evenly in underwater before being attacked,

 

[gangrel441]

What happens

if it remains an unknown residuals in ocean and is overused.
if it doesn't disperse evenly in underwater before being attacked,

From what I read, it sounds like it is (or is largely) an organic compound, probably breaks down pretty readily on its own.

Effective in very small quantities, so I doubt buildup will be a problem.

One of the suggestions in the article is to include it as an ingredient in suntan lotions. In this use, I doubt it would be any more or less harmful than the deet people put in the ocean by wearing mosquito repellant. But hey, I could be wrong...

 

[gangrel441]

I was pleasently surprised to learn that the protection of shark populations was the initial reason for the research.

That was what caught my eye first, and why I was surprised by the lack of response to the article here...

 

[Pilot_dc]

having just completed my Air Force post-ejection sea survival course I must say I'd be mighty happy to have some of that stuff in my seat-pack...