SHOULD WE KILL THE SHARK?
“What good is it going to do killing the shark,” asks Joshua Luke.
“Sharks are wild creatures trying to survive in their natural habitat. When we enter that habitat, we do so at our own risk.” Anna Read
“No surfer I know would ever want a shark destroyed.” Emma G-Force
“How do they know if they get the right shark? Or will they continue to kill them until they do… I say no!” Gayl Deveney
That’s the overwhelming sentiment of The Hoopla’s Facebook community when asked yesterday if there should be a “search and destroy mission” for the five-metre white pointer shark that is said to have killed surfer Ben Linden in WA.
Ben Linden. Photograph via Facebook.
Ben was surfing with a mate about 100 metres from shore, four kilometres south of Wedge Island, on Saturday when he was attacked by what was described as a ”massive” white pointer at about 9am.
The 24-year-old is the fifth person killed by a shark off WA’s coast in less than a year, sparking calls today by the West Australian Fisheries Minister Norman Moore that the Great White should lose their protected status. He plans to discuss the issue with the Federal Government.
While such a change would not mean sharks would be purposely culled, it would allow fishermen to catch them, he said in WA Today.
Mr Moore said to have five fatalities in WA was unprecedented and “cause for great alarm”, and overturning the existing protection of the species may reduce numbers.
“Regrettably people are being taken by sharks in numbers that have never been seen before, now we need to try and work out to the best of our capacity what is causing this to happen,” he said.
In the meantime, WA’s Fisheries Department has been unsuccessful in finding the shark that killed Ben Linden and admits the odds of finding the right creature are slim.
So, what do you think? Should sharks lose their protected status? Should we seek to destroy the shark that killed Ben Linden?
If Ben was your son, brother, boyfriend… would you still think the same?
33 Responses to this article
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katie July 16, 2012
NO WAY……we enter their home , we take the consequences
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Josie October 18, 2012
If we get attacked its not our folt it there home not ours
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Buffy October 29, 2012
I agree with you Katie if we enter their home it’s ow folt
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alan July 16, 2012
No.
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Daggers101 July 16, 2012
No!!! We are in their environment. It is a risk you ate if you choose to be there
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Charly Lindsay July 16, 2012
I feel terrible for this young man’s family, but sharks should not lose their protected status. The human species have already near eradicated the species and a huge amount of their food source, which is why we’re seeing increased attacks.
The Great White is on that list because we have over hunted it, making it different to other fish as it is danger of extinction.
I do think I’d feel the same if he were my relative, but of course that is easier to type than feel.
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airdre grant July 16, 2012
I agree with the general feeling and NO we shouldnt be trying to kill the shark. It is us who intrudes in their environment. And yes its a terrble , horrible loss for the family .
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Trisha July 16, 2012
Of course not. It is devastating to lose a child, friend or lover in any circumstances. However we understand the risks when we go into the sea.
We seem to have this feeling that anywhere we want to go is OK and anything that stands in our way should be destroyed. -
Trisha July 16, 2012
Of course not. It is devastating to lose a child, friend or lover in any circumstances. However we understand the risks when we go into the sea.
We seem to have this feeling that anywhere we want to go is OK and anything that stands in our way should be destroyed. -
TrishW July 16, 2012
The shark is following it’s survival instincts to hunt for food in it’s ocean home.
It doesn’t make sense for mankind to hunt down/fish-out the species in retaliation.
We are an illogical lot at times… fearful and reactive.
My heart goes out to Ben’s family for the loss of a young loved one… v tough times. -
Julie July 16, 2012
Culling anything we disagree with seems to have taken over the Australian mentality in the past decade. Kids in our way on the street – king-hit them. Politicians trying to be constructive- get rid of them. Cars driving at the speed limit – run them off the road. Aboriginal kids on Abstudy- discrimination against us middle class whiles. People on Newstart trying desperately to get a job- loser dole-bludgers, why should I care. The homeless- not in my backyard but I’ll show some support if I get publicity. I only earn $150k a year- where’s my government handout? How dare sharks think they are the top of the food chain – off with their heads. How the hell has Australia come to this? We’re now more ‘intolerant mid-west’ than the crazy Americans- they just have more guns -or do they? Ross Gittens wrote a great piece this morning on how negativity has overtaken us thanks in large part to the ‘meedya’ only focusing on bad news stories. http://www.smh.com.au/business/labor-struggles-to-win-economic-confidence-20120715-2244c.html Strange how the number of kids killing themselves in our society never rates a mention- not ‘bad news’ enough, or rather not enough to stir our ‘inner vigilante’ I guess!
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Jennie July 16, 2012
You’re so right Julie … I work teaching young drivers to be safer, and it is so frustrating that more than 500 of them die every year – year in, year out – and yet we waffle on about stuff that kills a couple of people a year … and no, I am not minimising the tragedy of any death, but for the money they are spending hunting this shark, they could save ten or even a hundred young driver’s lives … our priorities are wrong and we spend money on what the media says is important, not on what IS important. There is no new ‘story’ in young driver death or suicide death, so these get completely forgotten …
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Julie July 16, 2012
Having got that off my chest, yes, my heart too goes out not only to the families of Ben the surfer, and the young man who was killed in Kings Cross last weekend, but also to those around them who were so helpless. I live on a Nth Coast NSW beach and every day the surfers up here take risks in their black wetsuits. Warmer waters, changing currents and it is possible there is a pattern in the WA shark kills. But how do they identify the right shark?
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Julia R July 16, 2012
No. It is very sad for Ben and his family and friends, but we must take care of our marine environment and culling sharks shows no respect for our environment. We enter their world and we have to accept the risk.
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LORRAINE COLLOPY July 16, 2012
I have to agree with midnight blue,because of the protection issue the numbers of sharks are increasing,I am from WA and the amount of times beaches have been closed because of shark alarms this year is alarming,kangaroos run into cars and eat crops they are culled,rabbits eat crops they are culled.goats eat crops they are culled,so sharks killing people should also be culled–that is what I think!!!
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Sam W July 16, 2012
Check out the award winning doco Sharkwater (http://www.sharkwater.com/) for how important these creatures are to the marine ecosystem.
“A shark is just a big fish, tastier than most (they sell shark as Flake) so what is the problem? We eat fish, what is special about sharks?” – Midnight Blue, if we lose the ocean’s greatest preadtor, like a domino effect, the ocean’s ecosystem falls apart. Dozens of shark species (already threatened) are being fished at unsustainable rates (think shark fin soup.) Yes, they are our biggest threat in the water, but we are an animal that enters their domain and to think we can eradicate the ocean’s Apex creatures for our benefit without creating a whole sorry mess in our oceans (currently seen on east coast US) is both arrogant and foolhardy. -
Annie from Faulco July 16, 2012
People make the choice to be in the water. Sharks don’t.
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kid July 16, 2012
No, if it was the jungle instead of the sea, and a lion or tiger instead of a shark? What about a bear in the woods? The whole world is not our personal playground where every risk should be eradicated so we can what we like when we like. When we choose to go into wild places we choose to accept certain risks.
I read this morning that they are hunting for the shark and will kill it. As if attacking a human is a crime. Why not complete the farce and put it on trial first?
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Julie Wright July 16, 2012
Well said! I also do not agree with killing the shark. It is a knee jerk reaction and in the event of killing this shark, what happens with another attack? Surfers know the risks and I don’t think they would agree with the culling.
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Yara July 16, 2012
Absolutely not !! Sharks are wild creatures … You enter their domain and you take the chance. We all know the risk. Mother nature does not work on an eye for an eye basis. I’m a dive master and regular diver. This comes with the territory. You cannot kill a creature for behaving naturally in its own environment … I don’t know anyone who would agree to kill the shark responsible. I would feel the same if it was my best friend, daughter or sister
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AJ July 16, 2012
5 deaths in 10 months sounds terrible but in the greater scheme of human population, it is miniscule. Why do we cry fowl and care so much over these 5 deaths (sorry, I am not trying to downplay the importance of these individuals to their loved ones – merely making a point) when so many humans die every day from a swathe of terrible circumstances?
I believe we share this planet. Just because we can speak and type, doesn’t give us the right to kill anything that we don’t like. Rather, it gives us a responsibility to do the right thing by all those that can’t speak and type for themselves.
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sue bell July 16, 2012
Why the increase in shark attacks? Is it because we are depleting their natural food sources through over fishing?
If so, the increase in shark attacks can only be blamed on human intervention. Revenge is useless, what would the wider shark population learn from a revenge killing? Nothing at all. It is as useless as killing and hanging a snake on your fence to frighten off other snakes.-
Chris July 16, 2012
Authorities think this is the shark that has been tagged, headed from Albany and has made it’s way up the west coast – following the whale migration. More whales = more sharks. Don’t kill it. Surfers noted that it had been hanging around for about 4 days, but no one thought to inform authorities so they could close the beach. The shark was in it’s natural habitat. Swimmers have to be aware that early morning, early evening and overcast days are dangerous and they enter the water at their own risk. It has been a terrible year for shark deaths in WA and it is sad for all those concerned, but nature is both beautiful and unpredictable.
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liza July 16, 2012
I think that we should take all cars off the Roads. Ban aeroplanes and never allow anyone to swim in the sea. That should fix most deaths. Oh and also ban murders.
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Sheila July 16, 2012
How tragic for the family of this young man, my heart goes out to them, but NO, NO, NO, we should not be hunting and killing protected sharks. There is risk in all sports and diving and surfing are no exception. I’m sure people enjoy these sports are well aware that they are entering the territory of another species and accept the risks. To kill sharks on sight is to further exacerbate the problem and ultimately lead to the extinction of yet another beautiful creature.
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Tania July 17, 2012
There have been far more than 5 murders in WA in the last 10 months, so if they are talking about killing the sharks I presume that the death penalty is also being introduced for murderers???
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nellae July 17, 2012
I see they are talking of hunting down the shark concerned in theattack…if there is more than one shark in the area are they going to catch, then interview them all till one confesses!
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Amy Rorke July 18, 2012
Yes I would feel the same if Ben was my brother. We don’t kill someone who PURPOSELY kills someone in our culture – so why do we kill something that is just trying to eat?
Surfers know the risk… it’s up to them. I’ve never met a single surfer that wants to kill sharks. -
KerryLynne July 24, 2012
It could very well be that shark attacks in this area are a result of learned behaviours …. this link examines a possible scenario..http://www.hsi.org.au/?catID=1179
Its a definite cause for alarm.. -
Emett November 14, 2012
Shark protected somewhere 70′s 80′s time of bronzed Aussies hoards at the beach.
Number of shark attacks before 2000- very low.
Female shark takes 15yrs around to mature
2012 Less people in water all shit scared double triple more numbers of attacks. humans out fishing shark food.
Shark has found easy big feed and has a taste for it.
Lets protect the swim areas, not going out wide rage culling but for sure kill anything over man eating size that comes into highly populated areas.
African lion once it has killed man its deemed a man eater and that animal is destroyed. cause it eat kill man again.
I believe there is a particular few man eaters going up the WA coast. lets nip it in the bud before evolution trains the shark to this kind of feeding habit.
