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Shark Attacks Good For Business, But Is Business Good For Sharks?

Shark attacks are good for business claims general manager of Tourism for Cape Town, S. Africa - Mariette du Toit - a guest speaker at a recent impromptu Shark Attack discussion group organised by concerned Cape Town Surfers on Sunday 17th September 2006. However, is business good for Sharks?

That's what Clipp.org will be asking in this special feature as we take a look at how Ecotourism effects Sharks and what impact that has on the species both short and long-term.

Since *records began there have been a total of 35 Shark attacks in and around the coastal area of Cape Town with 8 fatalities to date, the last one coming in November 2004 when an elderly women was killed by a reported 18 ft Great White while out on her daily swim. No body was recovered and it is thought the Shark consumed its victim.

That horrific attack and others has left an indelible mark on the consciousness of surfers in Cape Town who are taking to the waters in fewer numbers with each passing year, in fear of being attacked themselves. But while surf numbers are down, business is booming claims Marriette du Toit, who said at the discussion group: "Ironically, we see an increase in the number of people interested in a shark experience after each incident. Every time somebody is bitten, it obviously awakens interest."

That interest being Shark cage diving, billed as a once in a lifetime opportunity to face 'White Death'... from the safety of a small cage, which is one of the fastest growing Ecotourism industries with literally hundreds of operators set up along the coasts of S.Africa and other Shark hotspots around the globe. Yet that is nothing compared to the number of people who want to meet the star of Jaws and whenever there is a well publicized attack on a human, that demand intensifies as du Toit acknowledges.

But is Shark cage diving of any benefit to the species? Many conservationists and Shark experts would say no, claiming man's interference is both unnatural and damaging to the ecosystem while for concerned surfers and bathers, already perturbed by the increasing number of attacks, cage diving only serves to draw Sharks closer to the shores and learns them to associate food with humans and vice versa. Restated: a precursor to attacks. That is one theory anyway.

To attract Sharks to dive sites a mixture of chum (ground up fish parts and blood) and large bait is thrown overboard. The chum acts as the scent trail to the bait and the bait is what keeps the Sharks interested long enough for enthusiasts to put on their dive gear and jump into the cage while the crew on board tease the Shark's with the bait.

Whether this largely unregulated practice leads to attacks on human's is debatable with no sufficient data existing to prove anything at this stage, but research has shown that Sharks adapt themselves to cage diving situations; of 300 or so Great White's tracked south of Cape Town at least four had become conditioned by cage diving, leading to issues being raised as to the benefit of this practice to both human's and the Sharks themselves that are nowhere near to being resolved it would seem.

For tour operators cage diving brings people and their wallets to Cape Town which boosts the local economy significantly and they argue, by providing people with an opportunity to get up close and personal with these fearsome creatures, that they are playing a vital role in challenging the once devastating public perception that these animals are blood thirsty man eaters out to get us. An attitude that threatened the existence of these Shark's not so long ago which today are a protected species in many international waters due to their low numbers.

And while there is no arguing that this can only be of benefit to the Sharks it still doesn't allay the fears and concerns of surfers, conservationists and general beach goers alike who claim cage diving is a reckless practice of no real benefit to man nor Shark. Where this leads to no-one really knows. Perhaps the solution to the issues raised is to educate surfers and beach goers of the dangers out at sea and to protect beach fronts further without infringing on the Sharks or those taking to the water in pursuit of leisure, fun and for many surfers, professional sport.

What are your thoughts on Shark cage diving? Discuss
it in our forum.

*Source: International Shark Attack Files

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Further reading
http://www.abyssdiveclub.org/

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