By Colin Faulds, Fairfax News A total of 47 sharks have been spotted in and around the Whyalla area since October 2005. That is, according to a report the Maritime Museum curator Paul Mazourek issued late last month. A Conservation Council of South Australia initiative, "White Sharks Count", was launched a few years ago and concentrated on the Eyre Peninsula. Mr … [Read more...]
Missing Shark Net A “Death Trap”
By Steve Spinks CURRUMBIN CREEK, AUSTRALIA A missing shark net poses a threat to surfers and swimmers after it was torn loose from Currumbin Creek, possibly by a passing whale. Tony Ham, the manager of the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries shark control program, said the 186m net had been missing since Saturday evening and the search for it had been … [Read more...]
Shark Bites Fisherman, Drinks His Beer, Crashes His Boat
CROKER ISLAND, AUSTRALIA A fisherman has endured a bite from a shark he was trying to free from a net - then a 20-hour dash to medical help, only for the trawler he was on to run aground within "spitting distance" of shore. Holding his bloodied, bandaged hand, prawn trawler crewman Quentin Gorrell had to be taken ashore in a police dinghy before going to Royal Darwin … [Read more...]
Craig Newman, Australian Shark Hunter
With the recent controversy over the use of shark nets on Australian beaches, this article provides some interesting information on the shark net program and some of the characters that work in the field. GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA It's a trifle chilly but perfect on the Gold Coast and shark catcher Craig Newton greets the day with a grin as he boards his boat ready for the … [Read more...]
Surfer Barely Avoids Shark Attack at Byron Bay
BYRON BAY, AUSTRALIA Broad Beach surfer Ben Vining felt like a sitting duck after what he says was a shark knocked him from his board at Byron Bay. Mr. Vining has told of his ordeal in the surf at Tallows beach on Saturday, saying his board was carried off by a rip and he had to wait 15 seconds to catch a wave to shore while the shark watched him. The 29-year-old had … [Read more...]
Environmentalists Urge Australia to Disuse Shark Nets
Shark nets are an often controversial method of preventing shark attack at popular beaches, but environmentalists decry the costs as outweighing the benefits. AUSTRALIA Environmentalists are calling on Australian authorities to stop using massive nets to keep sharks away from beaches. Officials say the nets, which will be erected Monday, have saved the lives of many … [Read more...]