Net Loss
Many people believe that shark nets protect swimmers by blocking sharks from entering the swimming area. However, these nets are not designed to act as a barricade, but as fishing net to catch and kill the sharks, among other species. Shark nets should not be used for protecting swimmers from shark attacks. They protect swimmers, not by deterring or blocking sharks from entering the area, but by killing them and reducing the area’s shark population. Therefore, there are fewer attacks on humans, but at a high cost to the already struggling shark population. There has been some success with shark spotting programs for preventing shark attacks, without harming the animals and it is a humane alternative.
The shark population in South Africa has declined since the 1960’s. The increase in human population, and therefore recreational swimming, brought an about an increase in sharks attacking humans in places like South Africa. In 1957, a series of attacks set off hysteria in South Africa, much like in the movie, “Jaws”. Over a 107-day stretch, known as “Black December”, sharks killed five people in the resort beaches off the coast of KwaZulu Natal. To calm the fears of vacationers and residents, the newly formed Natal Sharks Board installed over 200 miles of nets along the KwaZulu Natal province coast. The nets were extremely effective.
The nets reduced shark attacks by 90 percent, catching an average of 1,245 sharks per year. (Marshall)
Shark nets are adding to the growing problem of shark population decline, especially for certain species of sharks. The Great White is particularly vulnerable, due to the species’ low birth rate, compared to other types of fish, which generally produce hundreds of eggs, yearly. Great W...
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... eliminating them from our recreational swimming areas because of our fear. Though the use of shark nets has reduced attacks, it is also destroying an important animal in our oceans.
Works Cited
Leatherman, Stephen P. “Dr. Beach's Survival Guide: What You Need to Know about Sharks, Rip Currents, and More before Going in the Water”. New Haven: Yale UP, 2003. Print.
Marshall, Leon. “South Africa Rethinks Use of Shark Nets”. National Geographic News. 4 June 2002. Web. 9 March 2011
Peatling, Stephanie. “Sharks Kill Surfer, Reigniting Net Debate in Australia”. National Geographic News. 28 January 2005. Web. 14 March 2011.
Peschak, Thomas P, Scholl, Michael C. “South Africa's Great White Shark”. Cape Town: Struik Publishers, 2007. Print.
Pike, Steve. “Surfing South Africa: Swells, Spots and Surf African Culture”. Cape Town: Double Storey Books, 2007. Print.
As they are at the top of the food chain, sharks play a very important role in the oceans in a way that an average fish does not. Sharks keep populations of other fish healthy and in proper proportion for their ecosystem. By preying on the old, sick or slower fish in a population, they prevent the spread of disease and prevent outbreaks that could be devastating. According to Ransom Myers from Shark savers, “sharks may be gone within the next decades if we continue to kill them, resulting in the loss of important foods that we depend on for survival, causing a marine ecosystem imbalance.” At the same time, I accept that shark nets could be useful, especially in shark infested areas that have been renowned as spots where many attacks have occurred, but I still believe, as you would, that scientists should spend more resources on working out why it is becoming more common for sharks to be entering shallower waters, looking for food – namely seals, who just happen to look like
Shark nets have been implemented in locations across the world in response to shark sightings and attacks. Nets are submerged beneath the surface of the water, roughly 200 metres from the shoreline. The meshing is designed to be large to capture sharks, leaving them to struggle before eventually drowning under the weight of their own body. The meshing allows small fish to pass through, however captures larger fish and marine species. Shark nets provide no discrimination between common, vulnerable and endangered species, resulting in a high mortality rate for a variety of marine wildlife.
Every year, there are about 100 million Sharks killed, ultimately for its commercial success. Their fins are used as the main ingredient for a dish so-called Shark soup. However, many are unaware of the actual importance of Sharks' existence on Earth. They do a number of things to control and balance aquatic life down below, which in return affects how we live on the surface. Sharks have existed in our world for over 400 million years, if they were to suddenly disappear for industrial purposes, much problems will be encountered throughout the world. We must preserve the lives of Sharks, for many reasons most importantly that shark hunting is morally wrong, it may provide economic failure in a given time, and it may serve a critical unbalance of a healthy environmental state.
Throughout the film there are many experts about the ocean and the animals that live in it. Researcher Ritter the misconception of the shark’s species is blown out of proportion by the media, which is why sharks have such an awful reputation. Experts touch up on this subject adding how even one of the biggest movies Jaws is a very large portion from where people get their fears from or it could be from all of the “shark attacks” on the news. Rob discusses how at the rate we are going we can destroy all of the food chains in the marine ecosystem, and this is where most of our oxygen comes from. Throughout the film experts Rob Stewart and Paul Watson are trying to get long lining banned in Costa Rica. Paul makes a really interesting point saying how the biggest problem is that we do not understand what we are and we are just a bunch of “conceited naked apes” that are out of
Kish, P., 2012. Most Shark fishing is now banned from beaches and jetties in a year-long trial. [Online]
Fishery Scientist are constantly working on ways to protect shark species and reduce shark bite incidences. Others have proposed that sonar waves are placed on nets to try and keep sharks away. Researchers are also collecting data from the sharks that are caught by the fishermen to be in a position to better understand sharks, and how we can live in unity with them. A shark tagging programme to try to better understand shark movements and patterns could also assist instead of culling. Statistics show us that there have been drastic reductions in fatal shark bites since nets have been installed in NSW and Qld.
Miller, Barbara. "The World Today - New shark attack sparks political frenzy." 2 March. 2009. Web. 15 Apr 2014. Available at: http://www.abc.net.au/cgi-bin/common/printfriendly.pl?http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2008/s2504985
When most people hear the word "shark", the image of a vicious killing machine pops into their head. They picture something out of the movie Jaws, where a massive Great White shark terrorizes an entire beach and eats dozens of people. However, this fictional story is nothing more than Hollywood entertainment. In the real world, the tables are turned. Humans are the ones who kill sharks, and not just by the dozens. It has been estimated that over 100 million sharks are killed every year by humans (http://www.iflscience.com). Some estimates claim that the actual number of sharks killed every year could be as high as 273 million (http://www.iflscience.com). In this research paper, I will inform you of the many ways that sharks are being killed,
Everyone knows someone who is afraid of sharks. They might even advocate for the killing of sharks when they hurt someone or wonder why they exist on the first place. Every summer, shark attacks are a hot topic. There are news articles every summer about at least one person spotting a shark close to shore, and it seems like every other summer there is a blockbuster film about surviving a shark attack. Everyone knows that sharks are predators, but not everyone knows that sharks are on the decline. This is because of many reasons such fishing, and specific shark killings. Sharks are essential to our marine ecosystems, and the continued culling of them can cause the extinction of the species as well as a devastated ecosystem within our oceans.
In 2015 only 59 shark attacks have occurred around the world compared to the millions of sharks killed by humans every year. Due to these accidental shark attacks people tend to think that sharks, especially Great Whites are evil creatures with malice intentions when attacks do occur; but, on the contrary that is wrong. Sharks are not the only beautiful and unique creatures in the ocean, they also play a vital role in our ecosystem; however, due to human interference they might not be around much longer, through awareness sharks can be protected from endangerment.
Shark slaughter has led to shark populations being rapidly decimated all around the globe. Fishermen report that sharks are also getting smaller because they are not being given enough time to fully mature. Although there are other fish that are targeted more than sharks, they are not exactly affected by the kind of endangerment that sharks are currently experiencin...
"Home - Shark Research Institute." Shark Research Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Jan. 2014. .
Predation has strong effects on the structure of communities and ecosystems. Many different types of predators have been studied, both terrestrial and oceanic. Although larger marine animals like sharks have barely been studied. Since sharks are some of the largest and wide-ranging predators in the ocean, their ecological role must be of importance. Recently shark populations have declined due to fishing. This has brought them the attention of ecologists and has given them a reason to be studied. Marine biologists are debating the effects sharks have on the ecosystems and other species. Meanwhile, they are also wondering whether sharks are the fundamental cause of these changes or will they
Thesis: Sharks should be conserved because they are an important part of the ocean, attacks are often incidental, and human behavior influences the behavior of sharks.
Often when people go swimming at the beach, they are afraid of the possible risk of shark attacks. However, are these fears reasonable, or do people mistakenly believe that shark attacks worldwide are much more prevalent than they truly are? In this project, we will conduct an observational study to examine data on non-fatal unprovoked shark attacks that occurred globally in 2015. The data we will be examining comes from the Shark Attack Database which uses the Global Shark Attack File (GSAF), a spreadsheet of human/shark interactions compiled by the Shark Research Institute. This data is important because it will evaluate whether shark attacks worldwide are a common occurrence or are relatively rare.