Event canned over shark magnet fears
OCEAN Grove Surf Lifesaving Club has cancelled its patrol season open day after Victorian Fisheries warned a buried whale at Collendina beach could attract sharks to the area.
The club’s big day had been set to go ahead on December 2 but president David Pavia said it had been cancelled on public safety grounds.
The Department of Environment, Land, Water has been hit with significant community backlash after its November 16 decision to bury a dead whale that had earlier washed up on Collendina Beach.
A petition calling for the whale to be exhumed has attracted more than 2000 signatures.
“Given the advice from VicEmergency we felt that it was prudent not to have an open day,” Mr Pavia said.
The carcass was buried under 2.5 to three meters of sand to prevent leakage onto the surface of the beach.
The burial site is about 4km from Ocean Grove and 7km from Point Lonsdale patrolled beaches.
“It is possible that remnant whale body parts that may have broken away from the whale pre burial will continue to act as an attractant that could lead to sharks coming close in to shore along this stretch of coast,” the Victorian Fisheries warning said.
Mr Pavia said a DEWLP spokesperson had told him that they hoped the whale would be exhumed by the end of the week.
The club has also moved its training sessions from Ocean Grove’s main beach to Thirteenth Beach after Victorian Fisheries issued a warning on the Vic Emergency website for people to “exercise additional caution” between Barwon Heads and Point Lonsdale.
“Given the advice from VicEmergency we felt that it was prudent not to have an open day.” OCEAN GROVE SURF LIFESAVING CLUB PRESIDENT DAVID PAVIA