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Here is my take on the shark attacks.
Ignorance is so damning. Here we have the news reporting all these shark attacks. Not only are they reporting them to the coastlines but also people way in the heart of the country. These people, not having been near the ocean, don't know much about them. Just like I don't know much about bears. The media takes people's ignorance and blows some small stories out of proportion.
They really do. For example, when all those sharks were cruising the beaches in Florida. The Today show made it look like they were storming the beach looking to pick off a swimmer. To my eye, they looked mostly like Black tip reef sharks feeding on the mullet runs. Black tip reef sharks are very rarely responsible for attacks on humans. Most often, a human is attacked by one when they are being fed on those diving trips and they mistake some dangling fingers for a piece of fish. I wouldn't go swimming there but it's not like they are just waiting for some kid to dive in the water and maul the hell out of him.
Then the PWC couple that went riding through the school of sharks. The Today show made them out to be heroes. Like they were going on the Crusades or something. They were on a PWC going a considerable amount of speed. The sharks were off doing their own thing.
I think we all know, sharks aren't blood thirsty human hunters. So what do I blame all these shark attacks on? Decrease in food, namely menhaden. Now menhaden usually don't go into Florida waters as far as I know so what am I talking about?
All the waters that flow into the ocean directly or indirectly are part of the food web. Here we have menhaden being taken away. So fish that feed on menhaden are going to other fish. Since the migrations of the mullet and the menhaden overlap, I believe since fish like drum, cobia, stripers can't get their mouths on a bunker, they over eat on the mullet. This effects the populations down south that really don't deal with the bunker all too much.
This causes competition. These fish know first hand that there is a shortage. They know that if they see a piece of food and they don't grab it up fast, another fish will. This means they can't use all their investigating skills. Sort of like when there is one donut left. You don't take time to inspect what's in it, you just grab it. You have no choice. If you don't, someone else will.
I'm not a biologist but my feeling is a shortage in one part of the food web, effects the whole web, even those that aren't directly part of it.
The last point to consider is we are animals. Like it or not. No matter how "advanced" we are, we are in the sharks domain. If you don't want to be attacked by a shark, don't go in the water. Simple as that.
I don't agree with netting off beaches. A lot of species of sharks and other marine animals feed in the surf at night. We have no right to cut them off from their food. Not only that, but many times the animals don't just go away from the net, they get entangled and drown.
The only solution I see is to keep out of the water if sharks scare you that much. Otherwise, keep your eyes peeled, don't go in during dawn. Then try to get back the species these sharks are supposed to be eating.
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