June 8, 2016

SUFB 168: There is no Scientific Evidence to Support Shark Culling

SUFB 168: There is no Scientific Evidence to Support Shark Culling

Politicians use shark culling as a false sense of protection for beachgoers at the expense of Specie At Risk

The Australian Government once again overreacted to a shark bite incident last week after a surfer was bitten by a Great White Shark and later died from his injuries. The father of the surfer made a statement to the press expressing his disatisfaction with the choice of the government to cull (hunt) Great White Sharks and other large sharks as he said his son, Ben, would not want any shark killed due to him.

I decided to do a quick search for science literature to find any articles on the ideas that sharks can be "rogue", i.e. once a shark bites a human that it would bite another human again. That would justify the killing of a shark. Only problem is:

  1. There is no science that justifies the existence of a "rogue" shark; and,
  2. Sharks do work that way.

During this episode of the podcast, I describe how the idea of a rogue shark came to be and how it inspired the novel and movie "Jaws", which has perpetuated human fear of sharks. 

10 Ocean Tips to Conserve the Ocean: http://www.speakupforblue.com/wordpress/sufb_optinpdf