Greenpeace crowd sources cash to run ad in The West Australian against planned shark cull
Greenpeace Australia Pacific has been crowdsourcing donations to run an ad in The West Australian tomorrow aiming to convince WA Premier Colin Barnett to cancel his planned shark cull off the WA coast.
The organisation kicked off a campaign protesting the controversial shark culling program, which would allow Great White sharks to be caught and killed within certain areas of the WA coastline, with a petition which has been one of their “fastest-growing” ever, according to Greenpeace’s program department coordinator Sue Milthorpe.
She told Mumbrella: “The Western Australian government is planning to award the tender for the ships who go out and perform the cull this week so we thought it was very important to show how much public opposition there is to this plan in a very public way just before that tender is awarded.
“It appears to be quite an emotional reaction to the fact that there have been some fatal shark attacks in WA over the last couple of years. Every human life that is lost at sea is a tragedy and our thoughts go out to the families who have lost people, but they’ve done cull programs before and there’s never been any evidence that they prevent human deaths from shark bites,” she said.
Sue Milthorpe
“Given the importance of sharks to the marine ecosystem we think this is not the way to go.”
The organisation is in talks with a number of other groups to produce a joint ad to go ahead in tomorrow’s edition of the West Australian.
Milthorpe said The Sea Shepherd, The Humane Society International and The Australian Marine Conservation Society have come onboard already.
“We’ve got representatives from people who spend a lot of time in the water and who understand that this isn’t the way to prevent these tragedies happening,” she said.
Greenpeace is also encouraging supporters of the cause to donate money to help pay for the ad to run.
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Not sure if they can say there is no evidence of it working. ABC’s Fact Check looked at this and found shark culls had worked in Africa, QLD and NSW to almost eliminate fatal attacks.
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ABC’s Fact Check also said – ” Experts contacted by Fact Check note that a reduction in sharks is likely to have a significant impact on the health of the marine environment and, potentially, the economy.”
There is no rational reason for the killing of sharks when there are other viable options.
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I agree with Sceptic, Fact Check has made it very clear that culls do work at reducing shark attacks. However, I DO NOT believe that shark culls should EVER be undertaken. The oceans are a shark’s territory and clearly if you swim in the ocean you’re swimming with sharks. It’s their home, not ours and we need to respect that.
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Oh dear Sceptic.
Did you actually READ the FactCheck or just the “Misleading” headline.
Let me help you out here. It was “Misleading” because “Troy Buswell says new shark control measures in Western Australia do not represent a cull. ABC Fact Check finds his statement is misleading.”
They also found that …
“Historical shark attack figures suggest that the use of shark nets and drumlines does markedly reduce the incidence of shark attack when implemented on a regular and consistent basis.”
Further …
“Experts tell Fact Check that culling needs to be undertaken consistently to be effective. Alison Kock, a marine biologist and the research manager at Shark Spotters (responsible for the shark safety program at Cape Town, South Africa) says that “culling on an opportunistic and irregular basis, such as culling following an attack, does not seem to be very effective in reducing risk”. An example given by Ms Kock is the Hawaiian program that ran off and on over two decades. Dr Carl Meyer of the Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology told Fact Check the culling program in that instance was ineffective in reducing shark numbers and shark bite incidents.”
So let me summarise it for you:
1. Nets and drumlines DO help reduce fatal shark attacks.
2. Shark culls – unless conducted continuously – do NOT help reduce fatal shark attacks.
3. FactCheck investigated that Boswell said that this was not a cull … and they found Buswell’s claim to be Misleading.
Reference:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/201.....ng/5161120
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I agree with Shark Lover, shark culls or any other marine life culling should never be undertaken. We share this earth with other living beings. I wouldn’t undermine the tragedy and loss that people have faced with shark attacks, and mass killing of any other being just cannot be the answer. I often swim in the sea, and partake in activities that involve being in open waters. Not once do I go in to the sea without reminding myself how the sea can be unforgiving, that there are plenty of risks and I should always be prepared to deal with it as it comes. Same thing with going into a forest. I definitely do not want a future where the world becomes human-proof and we can’t enjoy nature and be in awe with its raw power.
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So Anon2, you agree that Greenpeace is wrong when they say “there’s never been any evidence”? I’m interested to see what the crowd sourced ad will say and whether it is accurate or hyperbole.
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Sceptic, I never use the word “never”. Dammit I just did.
On the balance of probabilities, there is insufficient evidence that a cull (as opposed to netting and drumlins) serves any worthwhile purpose (apart from maybe PR for the sitting government or maybe some revengeful blood-lust) … so sign me up for a few bucks for the ad as they are way closer to the mark than you are.
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More people drown in Australian waters. Perhaps the shark nets could be pulled up and the water just fenced off… oh but then people might die in car crashes… wait, perhaps the roads could be fenced off…
Sharks are an important part of our eco system. We need to be protecting them, not culling them.
Good work on Greenpeace for utilising crowdsourcing as a way to raise awareness of this issue.
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This is such a primitive response to a problem. Haven’t we evolved beyond killing anything that poses a threat? There are risks in nature and that is just part of natural life. Don’t like your chances of being eaten by a lion? Well then don’t go tearing around the Masai Mara dressed as a f*cking zebra!
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Forget a few sharks, what about the thousands of fish caught in killed every year in WA. Whose taking out an ad for them? Fish are equally as majestic and important for our eco system as sharks. Come on Greenpeace save the fish.
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