Plea to remove KZN shark nets
LITTLE PROTECTION: OTHER MARINE LIFE GETS CAUGHT Petition to find environmentally friendly solution is gaining support.
Response to the report of an endangered humpback dolphin being entangled in the Newark beach shark nets has reignited a province-wide debate in KwaZulu-Natal on the controversial practice of shark culling.
It was reported that the most recent incident was part of an ongoing problem with dolphins, turtles and other marine species dying in the shark nets, which are intended to snare only sharks.
A small number of people fear shark attacks might happen if the nets are lifted at Richards Bay but the vast majority agree the nets are detrimental to the marine environment and, in fact, offer little real protection to ocean users.
Many called for a petition to engage the municipality on alternative measures to protect bather-related tourism, and for a council decision to be made to have the shark nets removed or replaced with a more environmentally friendly method.
The KZN Sharks Board has for some time been experimenting with drumlines – floating, baited hooks – which are proving to be as effective as shark nets. Although they still perpetuate the practice of killing sharks to “protect” bathers, they are considered “the lesser of two evils”.
The uMhlathuze municipality spends about R2 million a year on the Sharks Board for the daily removal of catches and maintenance of the shark net equipment – a large amount given the extremely low risk of a shark attack.
Only 15 incidents – four fatal – have been reported in the past 65 years in Zululand. Three of the fatalities were from spearfishing.
Many believe the presence of shark nets is a perquisite to obtain Blue Flag status for a beach when the opposite is true.
A Blue Flag is an international award given to beaches that meet excellence in the areas of safety, amenities, cleanliness and environmental standards. Even though a number of KZN municipalities are trying for full Blue Flag status in the hope of drawing more tourists, Blue Flag SA is reported as saying it is totally against shark nets.
“We cannot carry on killing sharks and dolphins to keep people safe.
“If people are not prepared to take the risk like so many do all around the world, then we need to find a different way to protect bathers,” it said. –