The great white man eating shark which killed an Australian diver is safe for now, and the Australian authorities, which could be seen as a big mistake should further attacks happen over the coming weeks. Whilst it is true that sharks are to be admired, when they try to eat us, it shows that nature is a deadly foe.
Picture shows grey reef shark waiting to attack
In Sydney, Australia officials are fairly certain that it was a great white shark that is responsible for savage killing of the Australian diver, he was not wearing any shark attack armour, though it is not known if he was armed. A fisheries official said on Sunday 01/04/2012 calls for a cull on the man eating shark population has been ruled out, though there have been four fatal incidents in seven months.
Victim, father of two Peter Kurmann had been diving for crayfish around 1.6 kilometres (one mile) from Stratham Beach which is located near Busselton, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) south of Perth. The attack took place when he was confronted by the angry shark on Saturday. It is possible the shark was after the crayfish also, or was defending his territory.
He was badly bitten and parts of his mauled body was recovered from the water by his brother Gian, who was assisted by the crew of a nearby boat. The body was taken to shore. This has been the fourth fatal shark attack on Australia’s west coast since September last year, and there have been a number of other near misses.
Divers worldwide have for some time now been equipping high strength chain-mail which can provide valuable resistance against shark bites. A great white is a powerful animal, though armour can be beneficial. Maybe if more effort went in to perfecting shark attack protection, on a mass market scale, accidents like this would not happen so often. At this time commercially chainmail is the most used option, though some wealthy divers are able to afford full plate armour which is light enough and flexible enough to provide a comfortable swim.
Should the sharks be culled, probably yes. Sharks are top of the food chain, and as long as they are killed in the right number, it could benefit the food chain. It would have to be carefully considered. Another option is to patrol coastal waters in small submarines and chase off the sharks. It could be done from above the water as well, especially on surfing beaches. The hardest thing would be to locate them, then drive them away. Nets are sometimes used to stop larger fish from coming near the shore, though the benefits of many net systems currently used are debated, with some saying shark nets are not as effective as they could be, as some allow sharks to go under them.