How can we stop this happening – eg shark nets, shark patrols, increased shark fishing?
“Risk minimisation is the best approach, both on the part of the individual and of the authorities. However, shark patrols are of limited practical value, as identification of potentially dangerous sharks is all but impossible. Increased shark fishing is not an answer. The species of potential danger are not normally the target of commercial fishers, as heavy metal levels in the flesh renders it unmarketable, or they are protected by legislation due to the effects of previous over-fishing. The reality is that the human threat to sharks is orders of magnitude greater than the shark threat to humans, with hundreds of millions of sharks killed every year. Shark nets already actively fish for sharks, but unfortunately also catch and kill a lot of harmless species including dolphins, whales, turtles and many species of fish including the iconic manta ray. Expansion of this scheme would undoubtedly be to the detriment of many non-target species.
