Sharks are a reality to pretty much all fisheries in the world, at different levels of intensity… they definitively were to all the ones I worked.
Back when I started in the Atlantic, the fin trade wasn’t a reality, tho…. I became aware of it only once I got working in the Pacific in 1991.
I definitively a complex topic (as most things in fishery, actually), and another one where “one size does not fit all”
Yet as a long-distance ocean swimmer, surfer and spearfisher… there is a 2nd interest there for me.
heat map of my swimming, running and cycling in Waiheke in the last 10 years
“Aren’t you worried by sharks?” is a standard question I get asked when the conversation comes to my swimming (10 to 20 km on open ocean) I’m personally not worried too much in the area where I live, as do my fishing (in the gulf, no seal colonies nearby, and I’m almost 2m tall. I have logged almost 2000 km of swimming around Waiheke in the last 20 years and never had an issue… I fact, I’m more worried about people on recreational boats (as I was actually “bitten” by one)
So I spend time explaining the realities, assumptions, and complexities of the issue… and often use “we are not Australia” here in NZ.
And now I got an excellent further toll on my arsenal, and it comes by the hand of two colleagues in Noumea (where they do have a shark on people issue), Jed Macdonald and Lauriane Escalle. (I have mentioned Lauriane on blogs about her awesome FAD work, so it does not surprise me that her science mind is also excellent on this topic)
In the latest (and consistently excellent) SPC Fisheries Newsletter, they published a fantastic article: The evolving relationship between humans and sharks. A review and discussion of current shark hazard management strategies to foster co-existence, that you can download from here.
The end of the introduction primes for great reading.
"We focus on this issue further here, motivated by a recent spate of human–shark interactions in New Caledonia, and the actions taken by local authorities to reduce the risk of further negative interactions. We first provide some background into the various roles that sharks play as ecosystem sentinels and cultural totems. Next, we dig deeper into the world of human–shark interactions and chart the evolution of thinking around methods to minimise negative outcomes. We then provide an evidence-based overview of current strategies available for mitigating the risk of negative human–shark impacts in nearshore environments, and conclude with a call for further research into solutions centred around understanding and coexistence between humans and sharks."
I absolutely recommend reading it, and I paste the article in its entirety below… but as said, download the original and keep it for future reference.
