Month: October 2014

In a supposedly democratic society, why are the Australian governments catching and killing sharks when the overwhelming majority of the population are against it? Why are the governments allowing themselves permission to kill an endangered and thus protected species?

The voice of the people is not being heard and the media continues to use biased, incorrect and sensationalist language to will-fully insight irrational fear. It is time for a sane, informed and rational discussion on the issue of sharks.

Governments and policy makers don’t have to like sharks nor do they have to ignore the distress bathers and their loved ones go through when one of them is injured or killed in a shark bite accident. The only thing governments need to do is stop killing them and do their utmost to protect them as is their duty under CITES and international law.

This is a photo of one of the two great white sharks killed in response to the bite incident. The second has apparently been sent to Perth where ‘the fisheries department will conduct research on it, then it will be killed’. Fisheries and the media have both confirmed that ‘there is no way of knowing if either of the sharks are the one responsible’. This certainly begs the question of why were they killed?

Even if they did know it was the shark, it is not going to bring the surfers hands back. Worldwide data has shown that shark culling in the aftermath of a bite incident has no effect on deterring future attacks. And by fisheries stating there is no way of knowing if either shark was responsible, this shows it was simply an act of revenge and one the public and scientists have stated loud and clear is unnecessary and not wanted. It is time for sanity and democracy to make itself known.

Just when we thought the Western Australian government had finally come to its senses and had listened at last to expert, scientific advice from marine scientists all around the world to finally end their shark cull, they do a backflip of monumental proportions.

Disregarding all scientific proof that there is no such thing as a shark who develops a taste for human flesh and thus stakes out a beach as its feeding ground, the Western Australian government with the cooperation of Environment Minister Greg Hunt have killed two protected Great White Sharks as a response to a shark bite incident near Esperance this week.

After catching one of the sharks, reportedly a 3m Great White Shark, fisheries had to wait several hours for permission from the Federal Government to kill it. This was a cruel and inhumane act legislated by the governments of this country.

Why are the governments of this country lagging so profoundly behind other countries in regards to species protection and marine conservation? Why is the incorrect and loaded language of ‘Shark Attack’ still being used? Why are the media using language such as ‘Shark rips surfers arms off” when the shark bit the surfers arms?
Why do the media insist on this throwback to the 1970s?
Why are our governments legislating in favour of the slaughter of protected species and why does Australia lead the world in endangered animals?

These discussions need to be happening in our media. Q and A and Insight need to start engaging with the public and scientists and scholars about these real issues facing ALL of us on this planet. The government representatives legislating these policies on our behalf are not being held accountable because they are not facing their constituents in real time debates on these issues. Greg Hunt and Colin Barnett need to front up and face up to the public’s reaction to their policies.

Let’s ask Q and A and Insight to broaden their focus to environmental and conservation issues so the public can get a more balanced and realistic view of the situation rather than the blood soaked headlines the media usually dishes out.