Good news for Sharks in New Caledonia

[DamonA 7]

People looking to support conservation issues, could do worse then dive travel to countries which implement and enforce laws to protect- consumer statistics tend rule the actions of business.

 

New Caledonia has taken the necessary steps to save sharks in the area, read here;

 

 

http://phys.org/news/2013-04-caledonia-shark-fishing.html

 

 

 

 

[Autopsea 7]

Great news. I'm not sure I fully agree to the part where feeding is forbidden, and it will make everything harder for people working with sharks (scientists / expeditions etc...) but it's worth it.

[DamonA 7]

Wouldn't be better to have simply a healthy food chain where there is no need to bait at all?

 

There is a risk some sharks species might equate divers with food and be more aggressive or provoke an attack. Certainly it doesn't do much for our public relations regards to swimmers and surfer, who don't like the idea at all.

 

I disagree with baiting, I think it's bad to get sharks or fish coming to baits, same as feeding seagulls chips at the beach- it is artificial stimulation of the food chain and it makes them more vulnerable to line fishing if they move away to areas that do.

 

 

I think the New Caledonian Gov has sort the best scientific advise and implemented it- they deserve praise for what they have done.

[MortenHansen 25]

Damon, on this one we agree!

 

Either way, great news for New Caledonian sharks!

[Autopsea 7]

(

just a quick friendly answer :

 

I don't mean to say they shouldn't have forbid it, but it's really a pain in the ass to work on sharks when it's like that. Regulation (rules) such as no feeding (chum only) and only far from any beach / surfers sounds better to me.

one example : It's still allowed to chum for Tuna spearfishing. How do you chum for tunas only without brining the sharks? will you get arrested when you chum in the water for other species ? what about the bycatch from fishermen (often happen in New Cal)?

If you need samples for genetic, or to tag, or anything for the GOOD of the overall population of sharks, then it's really bad for you, and you might just avoid going there because you don't have the time and energy for months and months of papers and administration to get a permit.

 

I agree "classic" feeding can be really bad, but non-commercial chumming for specific reasons by people who know what they do sounds OK to me.

 

That said, I quote myself : "...but it's worth it".

 

: )

[DamonA 7]

You use the legal rational of a Japanese whaling operator!

 

Trophy hunting spear fishermen are in a very small minority these days, democracy is a wonderful thing.

 

Lets hope they enforce it with really big monetary fine, even jail would be good

Edited April 25, 2013 by DamonA

[Autopsea 7]

Whaling operator kills. I'm just saying, catch and release for science purpose can be a good thing, as well as chuming. There is many discussions and argument in this way that already exist, and we are finding, thanks to catch and release, genetics, tagging, many things that told communities how to best project sharks, or how do they live, etc...

 

That said, once again, I'm FOR the banning.

Here is a screenshot of a publication I recently did and wrote :

 

 

But I could do and writte it because I caught and release sharks, hundreeds of them.

[John Bantin 101]

There could be a good argument for protecting the environment by keeping ALL people out of the water. Anyone go for that?

[MortenHansen 25]

There could be a good argument for protecting the environment by keeping ALL people out of the water. Anyone go for that?

I guess I'd just dive in my bathtub with my rubber frogfish then

[DamonA 7]

There could be a good argument for protecting the environment by keeping ALL people out of the water. Anyone go for that?

This is a very good idea!

Have areas as no-go zones for motored vessels. I can think of areas of shallow sea grass beds, that Dugongs enhabit in Moreton bay as one inparticular- if access was limited to shore based swims, rowed dinghies or kayaks/canoes it would mean alot less stress for those Dugongs and the beds they feed off.

 

Other areas such as overdived coral reefs could be closed off and on to limit the impacts of to many divers. Thailand already uses this idea at the Similians with some sites and areas closed annually on a rotational basis, but unfortunately this doesn't stop the desperate illegal fishing of those areas, in a country in which the minimum wage is below $10USD a day- Indonesia is even worse at $2/day and lets not even peer over to India or Africa

 

The impacts this has on the environment due to the lack of education-quality of life- and how it attributes to overpopulation in those countries has all but been avoided by the developed countries governments, as the Multi-national Corporations use the cheap labor and lack of environmental protection to increase their own profits.

 

Many types of "sharks" are dangerous for the poverty line "swimmers", but when you have a vested interest via a fat superannuation/401k fund why would you oppose these actions. All that you care about is what you will have in the bank upon retirement, how much tax you have to pay on it and the price of a new BMW- never mine who's pocket it this is really coming out of.......... and I think to myself, what a wonderful world!!!!!

[Blue Screen Productions 1]

Surely there is a scientific permit that you could apply for to do chumming for tagging and research