Another whale gets caught in a Shark Net - how unexpected... not!

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/02/2673935.htm


I've said it before and I will say it again -shark nets are stupid and unethical. They give the public the illusion of safety* while providing none and killing thousands of sharks, turtles, fish, dolphins, birds, whales and everything else each year.

One day I'm going to stop whinging and do something about this... Preferably campaign for all nets to be exchanged for devices that create electromagnetic fields to deter sharks. It would be safer for the public and far less deadly.


* If you aren't aware, most shark nets on beaches do not, in fact close off the beach with a big net (in most cases nets would have to go too deep and wide for this to be cost effective), they are simply aimed at killing sharks to reduce population numbers in the area - assuming this will protect swimmers. Considering the research currently coming out about the behaviour of species like the Great White Shark (who travel great distances and are rarely in the same place for long) this seems incredibly unlikely to be at all effective. Hence, we are aiming to kill members of a very vulnerable group of species for no reason. This is a crime going on unnoticed beneath our noses.