The best way to guard against shark attacks is to study them, not kill them. Because while the alleged “shark boom” almost certainly not real, the more we know about sharks, the better.
Choosing to swim or surf at a beach with shark spotters or lifeguards may save you a limb or your life.
Glencairn Leigh de Necker
Alison Kock, South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity
Despite low shark attack numbers, many people are afraid of being bitten. There are, however, ways to steer clear of these creatures.
Scientists are starting to think that young white sharks could be responsible for clusters of shark encounters.
White shark image from www.shutterstock.com
More research may not necessarily prove to be the answer to shark attacks. Instead, we should look at programs that are already working, such as aerial patrols.
Australian surfer Mick Fanning, seen here surfing at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast, has decided to change the colour of his surfboard. No more yellow.
AAP Image/Jesse Little
The recent shark attack was enough to convince Australian surfer Mick Fanning that the colour of his surfboard may have been a factor. But what do sharks actually see in the water?
There are certain times and locations where people are more likely to encounter a shark.
Morne Hardenberg
A rash of white shark attacks this summer points to a rebounding population in the US – a sign of healthier oceans and the need to coexist with this apex predator.
The moment a shark encounters Australian champion surfer Mick Fanning.
AAP Image/World Surf League, Kirstin Scholtz
Although frightening, the footage of Mick Fanning at Jeffreys Bay is a reminder that sharks are present in the oceans, and that the vast majority of interactions between people and sharks end without fatality or injury.
Sensationalized shark attacks skew the facts.
'Shark' via www.shutterstock.com
The stats for 2014 have been compiled and shark attacks and fatalities are down worldwide. The numbers are truly tiny. Why do we fixate on this vanishingly rare possibility?
The plan to use baited traps to catch and kill sharks off the coast of Western Australia caused considerable controversy when it was announced last year, with critics calling the shark cull ineffective…
A 2.6 m tiger shark entangled in a WA drum line. It was officially released alive - whether it survived is another matter.
Neil Henderson/supplied
As Western Australia’s Environmental Protection Authority and the federal environment minister Greg Hunt mull the question of whether to let the state government resume its controversial shark cull next…
Wave of protest: surfers were among thousands who rallied at Cottesloe Beach against the Barnett government’s shark cull.
AAP Image/Theron Kirkman
The end of April marks the end of Western Australia’s shark cull – for now at least. Since January 25, dozens of sharks (the WA government has not yet released official figures) have been killed off popular…
Western Australia’s shark kills follow decades of similar policy in Queensland.
AAP Image/Sea Shepherd
One of the most common justifications for Western Australia’s shark cull is the longstanding use of baited hooks - or drum lines - in regions such as Queensland. Two key questions need answering. First…
In response to seven fatal attacks in the last three years by what are believed great white sharks the government of Western Australia has decided to cull all sharks larger than 3m – a pretty barbaric…
Shark bites on humans are best viewed as random acts of nature rather than deliberate attacks.
Mogens Trolle/www.shutterstock.com
The mathematics of shark bites look pretty simple: the more incidents, the worse the situation. That said, no amount of scientific explanation can fully address the tragedy of people being injured or killed…
Great White Sharks will be one of the species targeted under Western Australia’s new shark plan.
Flickr/Mshai
After a spate of fatal shark attacks over the past two years, Western Australia has released a radical new shark plan that will see large sharks removed and destroyed from designated “safe zones”. The…
Marine Biologist, South African National Parks (SANParks); Honorary Research Associate, South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB), South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity