Shark net study leads to storm of controversy

NEW research has taken a bite out of the age-old argument that shark nets reduce the chance of attacks.

Deakin University’s School of Life and Environmental Sciences associate professor Laurie Laurenson’s analysis of 50 years of data on shark mitigation programmes and coastal populations in South Africa and New South Wales has found that shark nets do nothing.

He told Australian media reducing the number of sharks in an area did not reduce the likelihood of shark attacks.

“I can show statistically that there is no relationship between the number of sharks out there and the number of shark attacks,” he said.

However, KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board head of research Geremy Cliff refuted the claims with regard to shark attacks on the KwaZulu-Natal coast.

“Durban beachfront suffered 21 shark attacks, with seven fatal, between 1942 and 1951,” he said.

“Shark nets were installed in 1952. In the ensuing 63 years, there has not been a significant shark-inflicted injury at any of the beaches protected by shark nets in Durban.”

He said Laurenson had erred by publicising findings that had not yet been peer reviewed.

But marine enthusiasts, who have been challenging the use of “culling devices” for years, were not surprised by Laurenson’s findings.

“Sixty years is a long time and many truths have suffered,” marine enthusiast Mark Addison said.

“Among those would be every single whale, dolphin, turtle, fish, shark, ray and seabird that suffocated and drowned in this tangled web of deceit.”

Amanda Barratt of The Paddle Out for Sharks – an annual event to highlight the plight of sharks – said shark nets did not offer full protection as 30% of the sharks caught in the nets were actually caught on the shoreside of the nets.