A Great White shark ate a diver near Capetown , South Africa on Sunday,
June 5th 2005.Witnessed by a man on a nearby jetty and his diving
partner in shallow water at Simons Town , the shark was thought to be
about 20 ft long - large even for a Great White - and went directly for
the diver, taking him from feet to arms in one mouthful. It did not go
first for nearby speared fish, though may have sensed their blood in
the water and been drawn by that to the area and certainly took the
fish after eating the diver..This shark definitely regards people as
prey, and has been seen since off the coast by shore fishermen, who saw
the buoy attached to speared fish being pulled through the water close
to shore.
Some ask that this and other Great Whites in this
popular resort area be hunted out, creating a shark-free zone close to
popular beaches.Others feel the sharks should be left alone, labelling
calls for renewed shark fishing as being based on a lack of
understanding of marine predators. Tourists presently take boat
trips to see the Great Whites in False Bay, so that they are an
economic asset to the area.
Some limited fishing of these sharks would
provide a substantial income from Big Game fishermen willing to spend
large amounts for the privilege of catching them as trophies and of
course for services in the area while doing so, thus providing ample
economic incentives for their preservation while also maintaining a
safe zone for people.
Both positions obviously have merit; I personally(
writer of this abstract ) feel that a shark free area along popular
beaches does not mean no sharks in the general area; a heavy net or
other barrier could readily create a safe zone close to shore while
leaving the sharks free to multiply and feed elsewhere.