Shark attacks and kills girl Runion Island

I've seen that view before.:@

Cheers, Don

In Western Australia, the second place i hunt alot, this is a huge debate at the moment. There is talk of rougue sharks that prey on humans, that learn our habits and target us. There is another theory that the increase in sea lion numbers has caused an increase in sharks, others that say we have killed to many fish and so sharks are taking what they can get and so on.

There are to many cooks in the kitchen, we dont know or understand sharks enough and that is what breeds a fear, the unkown.

I used to be a furm believer that we shoukd never kill sharks because of attacks on humans, then i moved to W.A and the attacks were happening often, more deaths than any other western country last year. I know believe that sharks that do venture to close to highly populated shores should be killed. Baited lines are great for this reason, they are local, they target sharks in a fixed location.

However if an agressive mako or white was sighted in a remote location i wouldnt be up for killing it, thats my opinion, might seem strange to some but logical to others. I guess im saying its ok to kill them under certain circumstances.

I also agree with Dan in that no shark is worth more than a human, unfortunatly we are not saving a human for every shark we kill, it just doesnt work out like that, so culling is just a quick fix with potentially negative impacts.

That will be 2$

Reunion Island Bans Surfing

Reunion Island Bans Surfing | SURFER Magazine

Quote

In response to a surge in shark attacks, government officials in Reunion Island have banned surfing outside of the island’s lagoons until October 1 of this year. Anyone caught surfing outside of the lagoon will face a $50 fine. Additionally, they plan to cull 90 sharks—45 tiger sharks and 45 bull sharks—from the island’s waters to help combat the attacks.

“I think it’s stupid. I’m shocked they banned surfing in the area,” said Damien Ferrere, 16, who lives in the south of Reunion. “If we want to surf, we risk 38€ and possible prison time. If I want to surf, I will.”

The government of the island released the following three-point plan to deal with the attacks:

“An immediate prohibition of swimming, surfing and bodyboarding within the coastal strip of 300 meters from shore in the department of Reunion until October 1st, 2013. These activities are only allowed within the shallow ‘lagoon’ and supervised areas as determined by the Prefecture. Beachgoers who do not comply with the restrictions will be subject to a fine of 38 Euros ($50 U.S. dollars).

“A total of 90 sharks should be ‘taken’ as part of the scientific ciguatera program to assess the marketing objectives of sharks in Reunion Island.

“A new website, dedicated to inform the public about the shark risk in Reunion Island, will be established in October 2013.”

The 90 sharks that will be killed will be done so under the veil of the island’s ciguatera program. It should be noted that only tiger sharks and bull sharks—the two species most commonly associated with attacks on the island—will be killed.

Over the past six years, the French territorial island has suffered an onslaught of attacks, with two fatalities in the past three months alone. The most recent attack occurred when a young woman was killed just yards from the shore while she snorkeled with a friend. A French surfer on his honeymoon was also fatally attacked recently.

The island’s residents have been divided on whether or not the government should implement a culling program to trim the number of sharks in the area. Following a fatal attack of a popular local surfer in August of last year, 300 surfers demonstrated outside of the local police department demanding that the shark population in the area be culled. Others aren’t sure that a shark cull is the answer to the problem. Reunion Island is home to a marine reserve where fishing is limited. Some surfers on the island believe that this reserve, which was enacted six years ago, has allowed the number of sharks in the area to overpopulate, which has led to the rise in attacks.

“I don’t think that killing 90 sharks is going to solve the problem. It’s a lot more complicated than that. I believe they need to let more fisherman into the marine reserve to cut the shark’s supply of fish,” added Ferrere. “I think they need to balance out the whole ecosystem; you can’t just kill 90 sharks and expect that to work.”

This was not the first time the government on Reunion Island has issued a cull for sharks. In August of last year, in the wake of three deadly attacks in a single year and two attacks in a span of two weeks, the government opted to cull 20 sharks in the marine reserve.

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So should they kill off all the mountain lions that kill hikers in the Rockies? I feel that if you're hunting animals to eat them than that's fine but if your only killing them because another one killed a human than that's just pointless. As a human, we are smart enough to understand that if you hike in the woods, swim in the ocean or hike in the arctic, there is a chance that you will be consumed by an Apex Predator. If you do not want to take those risks, you should not be visiting those areas. There were even signs warning of shark attacks along that beach. If she could read the sign, she was able to understand the risks she was taking entering the water. Killing a shark for being a shark is just stupid. The only time a shark should be killed is for sustenance or in defense from an imminent attack.

There's plenty of humans out there that have raped, killed and beat other humans (even small girls) and they are still alive and kicking and getting shelter and food three times a day.

@ Hardline.... well said!!

Nobody ever said the top of the food chain is a static position . It's pretty turbulent at the top.

There are ways of dealing with predatory mammals who have developed a taste for people and or livestock ...no idea how you'd do it for a shark.