1 August, 2012 1 August, 2012

Dead Sheep Blamed for Rise in Shark Attacks

Australians are struggling to find answers to a growing shark problem, this following yesterday’s attack on a surfer in South Australia, which comes just over a week after the fatal attack on a surfer in Western Australia – the sixth attack so far this year.

Bans have already been imposed on shark cage diving operations, and now some experts are even blaming dead sheep thrown overboard by ships departing from ports, for the rise in attacks. This according to a report posted yesterday on surfermag.com.

The report continues with a rebuttal by another expert, this time Mike Burgess, who is the Head of the Department of Fisheries WA Shark Response Unit, who claims, “The diet of White Sharks consists mainly of fish, other sharks, and marine mammals. While we can’t dismiss the possibility that some species of shark may follow these vessels, it’s unlikely that the White Sharks would.”

1 Comment

  1. The ballie
    8 August, 2012 at 11:39 am · Reply

    These Aussies are just so crazy. White sharks are not dependent on stuff like dead sheep/sewage/rubbish, etc. No, they are highly mobile apex predators, and the two factors which contribute to the increased number of attacks are the increasing numbers of people in the deeper water (read “surfers”) and the increased numbers of large white sharks – the latter due to increased conservation. Things like chumming may help to keep or concentrate sharks in a particular area but, for the rest, it really is as simple as that.

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