ARE SHARKS GETTING TOO MUCH LOVE?
Protecting the predators has led to increased shark numbers and an increase in attacks on people
POOR Palm Beach.
First it was a property price hike, then the developers moved in … and now there’s a new shark in the water.
A great white shark. On Christmas Day, the beach was shut down when two teenage surfers came in panicked, saying they had been circled by a great white and that it had come so close they could see the markings on its dorsal fin.
Now, after further sightings, six drum lines have been installed 200m further out to catch the great white.
While the use of drum lines, and especially nets, has long been controversial given the cost to other aquatic life – particularly dolphins and whales – the Queensland Government is holding the line when it comes to its use.
“Human life is absolutely paramount,” says Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, saying the drumlines would remain “as long as they need to”.
And fair enough. Not only is human life paramount, but so too is the reputation of our ocean.
We need a sense of safety in our surf if we are to continue to attract tourists.
But the problem is, even if these drum lines catch the individual great white currently at large, there are literally plenty more fish in the sea.
And by “fish’’, I mean sharks.
The truth is that, just as the best of green intentions to protect our national parks can actually lead to more destructive fires, the same is happening in our oceans.
To be clear, I am not joining in the conspiracy that environmental groups are to blame for the current bushfire emergency.
There have been multiple reasons for the conflagration, outlined by far more knowledgeable sources than myself, but the past does show that some of the most protective policies have caused the most damage.
America’s Yellowstone National Park is a prime example.
From 1886, the park employed fire suppression techniques, slowly allowing controlled back-burns until the huge blaze of 1988 destroyed much of the park, forcing managers to embrace fire as a way of preserving the environment.
Yet now it is our oceans that are being over-protected. Well, sort of.
While many species still need our protection, we are maybe showing a little too much love for sharks.
Bond University associate professor of environmental management and national shark expert Dr Daryl McPhee says although popular sentiment is now to protect sharks from culling, this intervention has led to increased numbers – and increased attacks.
“In the Great Barrier Reef more than 30 per cent of the area has no fishing at all while there is now great control of any illegal shark harvest,’’ he says.
“The commercial harvest in the remaining areas has been reduced and recreational catches are also controlled.
“Numbers are growing and have been for some time and their aggression has increased. Any recreational fisherman will tell you there are more and more aggressive sharks.
They’re used to hanging around boats, they aren’t scared any more.
“Meanwhile, over the last 30 years globally the number of unprovoked shark attacks has consistently increased, with spikes in specific hot spots.
“My research has shown that there is also an increase in food resources for white sharks. Protection of seals and humpback whales means there is now a greater overlap of shark food and people in the same water.”
And that seems to be part of the problem at Palm Beach.
The great white in question was seen near the recently completed artificial reef, which was designed to stop beach erosion.
Already popular with surfers, fishermen say the reef has also become a magnet for mackerel, a popular dish of
great whites. We built it, and they came.
And while the drumlines might make us feel better, it is not such a feel-good feeling for other marine life that literally take the bait.
As unpopular a sentiment as it may be, the time may be coming when we need to rethink our attitude towards marine protection.
Just as burning the forest helps it thrive, reducing shark numbers could bring the oceans back to balance.
Indeed, Dr McPhee says the current number of sharks is such that we could catch 1000 tonnes a year off the east coast of Queensland alone and the population would still be sustainable.
“It is time to bite the bullet and recognise that our intervention is leading to more sharks and more attacks,” he says.
Of course, Dr McPhee does not mean we have to target sharks – we just have to recognise the full consequences of our environmental actions.
We do have other options: stay out of the water … or simply accept that when humans enter the home of sharks, it is at their own risk.
And compared to the developers of Palm Beach, it could well be safer than land.