TheunsH wrote:I have written an article for a Danish web magazine about the shark nets on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast and I thought of sharing it with you. I have posted a similar article on the "other forum" a few months/years ago, but I have added to it and thought maybe some of you haven't seen it. This article will be translated and edited by the editors, but here is my version:
IS THERE STILL A NEED FOR SHARK-NETS AND DRUM-LINES TODAY?
This is indeed a very contentious issue and many conservationists are lobbying against the use of shark-nets and drum-lines off the coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Background and the Whaling connection.
The whaling industry started in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa in 1907 by the Norwegians. During 1908 106 whales were caught and killed during the first whaling season from March to September.
It is said that the whale carcasses floating in the water where the slipway and whaling station were build attracted so many sharks that nobody dared to swim there.
It seems that the catching of whales was easy without the need to sail much more than 150 miles from Durban. Whales were killed by shooting them with a 165 pound metal harpoon loaded with explosives. The whales were then pumped full of air to make them buoyant and towed back to Durban.
In 1912 there were 13 whaling companies registered with only 6 ever operational.
Not many people are aware of the fact that the whaling industry in Durban had a huge influence on sharks as well. The whaling stations created an abnormal large population of abnormally large sharks. The sharks had a royal time following these whale ships and feeding of the towed carcasses. Many whales were lost as the sharks would bite through the whales blubber and sink them en-route to the whaling station.
The whaling stations in Durban have created a “smorgasbord” of shark bait up and down from the Bluff, moving in the current and arriving at the northern beaches of Durban all the way down to the beaches of Amanzimtoti in the south. This oily and bloody slick of bait secured the presence of sharks at these beaches where most shark attacks took place during the peak of the whaling industry.
During 1975 the whaling operations in Durban ended. One reason was fact that the conservation movement was gaining momentum with growing pressures to ban whaling.
After the whaling period the shark numbers normalized ending the period of the “super-shark”. The problem at that time was that most people were incited against sharks and there was no hope for shark conservation to begin.
Shark attacks and the history of shark-nets in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
According to records 2 shark attacks on humans took place in the 1930’s in the KwaZulu-Natal. Between 1940 and 1952 there were 32 shark attacks, 7 of those were fatal. People were in a state of shock and panic. In 1952 seven gill nets were installed off the Durban’s beaches. These nets were each 130 meters long and things improved for a few years as thousands of sharks were captured and killed.
Then came “Black December” of 1957-1958 where 5 deaths occurred over a 107 day period. Holiday makers flocked home in horror of the carnage.
It was during this time that the Navy started depth-charging sharks. Can you imagine this? War was declared on the sharks. Cage-like barriers were also installed but abandoned due to the fact that they couldn’t withstand the high impact surf.
As from 1962 modern shark-nets were installed when the Natal Sharks Board and Natal Anti-Shark Measures Board (Today known as the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board) was founded as a statutory body. Since 1964 nets were also installed at several other large holiday resorts. According to records there are at present approximately 40 kilometres of netting installed at 37 towns and holiday resorts along a 325 kilometres stretch of coastline.
The working of shark-nets.
Most of the shark-nets are 214 meters long, 6 meters deep and have a stretch mesh of 51 centimetres. They are secured at each end by two 35 kilograms anchors. The nets are laid in two parallel rows approximately 400 m offshore and in water depths of 10-14 meters.
These shark-nets are repaired and cleared of dead carcasses on working days and not during public holidays and weekends by the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board.
The Baited Drum-Lines.
A drum-line consists of a large, anchored float (buoy) from which a baited hook is suspended. The quantity of gear varies but most beaches are “protected” by 2 nets or 1 net and 4 drum-lines.
Baited drum-lines are also not physical barriers, instead they fish for sharks.
The main reason for the drum-lines is the fact that many dolphins, whales, sea tortoises and other fish species are caught in the shark-nets and I think the reasoning was that the nets should be replaced by baited drum-lines to protect such other species. But it seems that this is not the case…nets are still in use and drum-lines were simply added.
The argument against shark-nets and drum-lines.
Shark-nets are basically gill-nets, indiscriminately catching harmless species, such as dolphins, skates, rays, whales, tortoises, etc. Shark nets cause irreparable damage to the eco system and need to be replaced by a more environmentally acceptable method. An electrical reveller (the Pod), may replace the gruesome nets. Due to the harsh nature of our coastline, the technology to supply this device with a reliable power source in the ocean is, unfortunately, still years away.
Shark nets are not barriers, sharks can move freely in and out of the nets. They can also see the nets a lot of time, and avoid them. They can move between the nets, under the nets, around the nets and in from the sides without even coming near the nets. People are often shocked to realise this, but it is no secret. Many sharks are caught in the nets on their way back to sea (beach side of the net)!! . Keep in mind that shark netting works by reducing the shark population and NOT by preventing access of sharks to the beaches.
Shark nets were very effective as a culling method and have been working very well, so well in fact that according to statistics the chances of getting eaten by a shark are about zero percent. It is said that if all shark nets were to be removed you will not be at risk of shark attacks due to the reduced shark numbers. It can be argued that you are safer swimming on a public holiday or a weekend, when the nets are not checked, at a non netted beach adjacent to a netted beach due to the fact that all sharks, dolphins, sea tortoises, other fish species, etc, caught during a weekend are basically chumming the water at the netted beach!!
South African shark nets, put in place to protect mainly surfers and holiday-makers, capture between 800 and 2200 sharks per annum and catches are highest in those years when the sardines move close inshore during winter along the KwaZulu-Natal coast. Most sharks caught and killed are harmless species. More sharks are also caught in these nets during floods due to the fact that the dirty water may prevent sharks from detecting and avoiding the nets.
The Great White shark is protected in South Africa due to reduced numbers, but ironically, 20 to 50 of this species are caught by the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board in shark nets each year, probably more than were killed by trophy fishermen before the ban.
Today shark populations are in a very bad state. Whale and dolphin carcasses are floating ashore almost untouched after spending weeks floating in the ocean. Human corpses from drowning are discovered days later untouched. Where are all the sharks, you may ask? Well they are not there anymore and they are in dire need of conservation.
Keeping in mind that baited drum-lines also do not form a barrier between the ocean and the swimming beaches. However, baited drum-lines attract sharks to swimming beaches and most people are unaware of this fact.
Misconceptions and fear of sharks.
People in general have a lot of misconceptions about sharks. The greatest culprit of them all was the film “JAWS”! Misconceptions such as “sharks are roaming the shore lines to catch humans” and “sharks are attracted by as little as a drop of human blood” are common. It is a highly debated question whether human blood attracts sharks at all. Sharks are attracted by fish blood and fish oil and to a great extend by vibrations and electrical impulses though.
Why do people fear sharks? The main reason is the fear of getting attacked and injured or even killed by sharks while swimming in the sea and that may be due to ignorance.
For many years sharks were portrayed, by the media, as these highly dangerous animals who devour anything, even humans that cross their path. Such completely unfounded statements were propagated at random, even without having taken the time to observe the behaviour of these animals in more detail.
A good starting point in addressing fear of sharks is to have a look where sharks fit in the greater oceanic and environmental picture…what other “dangerous” creatures are there? Are you afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about pet dogs, malaria mosquitoes, bees, cone shells, stone-fish, lion-fish, box jellyfish or even the beautiful blue ring octopus?
Let’s have a closer look at some statistics to have a better perspective on where sharks stand in the statistical picture:
Pet dogs account for 31 deaths per year in the U.S.
Bee stings are the largest killer of humans in the U.S. directly caused by animals. 53 people are killed per annum by bees.
Internationally, malaria carrying mosquitoes are widely regarded as the most deadly creatures on the planet, killing an estimated 3 million people per year.
Sharks attacks and fatalities are not that common. Only 471 fatal attacks from 1580 to 2008 were recorded.
In reality, less that 1 person per year is killed by a shark in the U.S.
Conclusion.
The time for shark-nets and drum-lines are finished and the most successful way of ridding people’s fear of sharks is a comprehensive educational campaign based on the latest research findings which explain shark behaviour. People should be informed about the plight of sharks before it’s too late. Sharks are at the top of the oceanic food-chain and fulfil a crucial role as such.
(
SOURCES: http://www.sharksavers.org/en/education ... weave.html
http://www.shark.co.za/nets.htm)
http://www.fad.co.za/Resources/whaling/whaling.htm )
Coming up: statistics 
