Shark-catching off Hobie beach sparks debate on bather safety
When the cover image and photo on this page landed at CXPRESS earlier this month, its arrival coincided with discussions on shark-catching among parents and visitors to Plettenberg Bay.
The gist of the debate concerns the safety of resident youngsters training in front of Plett Surf Lifesaving Club and holiday-makers simply frolicking in the waves, in close proximity to where local anglers regularly land a variety of shark and other fish species before releasing these catches back into the ocean.
There is nothing illegal about this so-called tag-and-release practice, and no fingers are being pointed as such at the fishermen who gather frequently at the Hobie Beach parking area, where their rods are secured alongside vehicles while awaiting the next bite and ensuing battle to beach each particular catch.
However, those opposed to this sport taking place so close to a main swimming beach are speculating over the type of bait used to lure sharks or other large species hooked in the process.
The main concern seems to be that “chumming” of sharks is generally regarded as habit-forming – in other words, if these creatures get used to finding food in a certain part of the ocean, they will return to the spot when next in need of sustenance.
But none of the anti-faction could confirm that this luring method was indeed used by local anglers. CXPRESS has over the years reported on a handful of shark attacks in the bay and beyond:
- Former international bodyboarding champion, now surfski star and Plett NSRI volunteer Neal Stephenson was attacked off Keurbooms Beach in May 1998, two weeks before the first edition hit the streets on June 1 that year.
- In August 2011, Plett local Tim van Heerden lost his life when attacked while surfing off Lookout Beach.
- June 2015 saw two shark attacks in two days, the first being Plett native Dylan Red-dering’s encounter at Lookout, and the second taking place at Buffels Bay, where Caleb Swanepoel of Prins Albert lost his leg.
The world at large took note when elite world-tour surfer Mick Fanning averted injury during a close shark encounter at Jeffreys Bay in July of that year.
But significantly, in a report of that incident at the time (www.brandsouthafrica.com), the SA Sharks Board is quoted on stats which remind of the fact that driving a car is 100 times more risky than setting foot in the ocean.
“Since 1990, only 26% of attacks have resulted in serious injury and only 15% were fatal. This equates to an average of one serious shark-inflicted injury every year, and one
shark-inflicted fatality every 1.2 years along some 2,000km of coastline from the Mozambique border to Cape Town’s Table Bay.”
Finally, Plett shark expert and NSRI veteran Bruce Noble explained that anglers targeting sharks at Hobie Beach generally do so in the evening and into the night, when these fish come in close to feed.
“This is not a demarcated bathing area, and most are experienced anglers who use the correct tackle and practise tag-and-release. The same thing happens at many places along our coastline.
“I would not regard it as a problem, unless it was done while people were swimming in close proximity.”
Readers are invited to email editor@cxpress.co.za to share their views in this regard.
• According to Wikipedia, chumming is the practice of luring various animals, usually fish such as sharks, by throwing “chum” into the water. Chum is bait consisting of fish parts, bone and blood, which attract fish, particularly sharks owing to their keen sense of smell.
Chumming is illegal in some parts of the world because of the danger it can pose by conditioning sharks to associate feeding with the presence of humans. It is a common practice seen as effective by fishermen all over the world, typically in ocean waters.
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