Plan To Curb Attacks Without Harming Sharks

September 7, 2006

Release from: Karen Breytenbach
Cape Times (South Africa)

Proactive strategies to curb increasing shark attacks and their socio-economic ripple-effects, while still conserving these animals, have been put to the city council.

The proposals include employing more False Bay shark spotters, closing beaches to have sharks tagged, putting up proper signage on beaches with information on sharks and setting up one emergency telephone number to be called in the event of an attack.

This could improve response time to attacks.

A draft report was presented to the council's Planning and Environment Portfolio Committee by the Environmental Resource Management Directorate and was the result of a Shark Working Group workshop.

The author, Gregg Oelofse, represents the city council on the Shark Working Group, which includes representatives of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, SA Lifesaving, the NSRI, research bodies and NGOs.

The document was published on the council's website on Wednesday for public feedback.

Although contributing factors to attacks are disputed and no estimates on the size of the shark population exist, ocean sports like surfing, kite surfing, kayaking and surfskiing have grown by over 500 percent in the last ten years, increasing the likelihood of human-shark contact.

In the last four years 13 attacks have been recorded, seven on individuals and six on craft, causing negative press locally and internationally.

The 300km of coastline is considered an asset to the province and shark attacks impact on the local economy, tarnish the region's image and discourage the use of the ocean for recreation, says the report.

To study the long-term behaviour patterns of Great White sharks close to the False Bay coast, the beaches between Simon's Town and Muizenberg will be closed to the public and the fishing community for a few days in October to allow researchers to tag as many as they can find.

University of Cape Town shark researcher Alison Kock has tagged sharks around Seal Island to study their movements.

On Wednesday she was in False Bay diving to retrieve electronic receivers which had been placed on the ocean floor, to download information.

Tagging is done for research purposes only and is not a warning system, said Oelofse.

The experts ruled out capture devices like net as dangerous to other sea life.

Barriers and electronic repellants were considered expensive and impractical.

The city council was therefore asked for funding to station shark spotters in Noordhoek, Strand, Gordon's Bay, Kogel Bay and along the Atlantic seaboard.

Three spotters permanently watch Muizenberg Beach and two watch over Fish Hoek, while lifesavers at Monwabisi and Mnandi watch the waters at weekends and on holidays.

In the last 18 months the shark spotters have collectively sighted sharks and had beaches closed 187 times.

"We have asked council for an annual funding grant for spotters and we're waiting on their approval," said Oelofse.

The directorate proposed supplying all remote beaches with "shark attack kits" to provide first aid.

It was also proposed that the Shark Working Group be given formal status by being housed within local government structures.