This World Oceans Day, the Durban public share their voices to the cause of saving Sharks and other ocean life from shark nets.
South Africa (08 June 2020) – South Africa is in the top three global hotspots for shark and ray diversity, home to 205 species – 69 of these are endemic to South Africa, meaning they are unique to our waters. Shark Attack is a campaign being run to educate the public on the global plight of the shark.
Did you know, Sharks are one of the most vilified animals in the entertainment world yet they are not nearly as sinister in real life. Movies like Jaws, Shark Attack and Sharknado, to name a few, do not portray sharks in a good light and to be quite honest, are hardly accurate. The fear has been built up, but actually, cows kill more people each year than sharks, in fact, toasters have killed 800 people… toasters!
Shark Attack is a campaign underwriting a 3-year project (Shark & Ray Protection Project) made possible by the Shark Conservation Fund with a goal to improve the protection of threatened sharks and rays in South Africa.
The Project interventions include knowledge improvement, increased legal protections, support and training for effective implementation of conservation measures, and advocacy and awareness to spur citizen action as well as to support decision-makers.
The Shark Attack campaign hopes to inform the public and ocean users about the imperilled status of sharks and rays, recovery actions required and highlight the benefits of non-consumptive and sustainable use.
One of the many threats to Sharks as a species is negative public perception. Cars kill 1.25 million people annually; aeroplanes kill 283 people per year, toasters kill 800 people, while sharks killed five people last year.
More than 100 million sharks are killed by people every year.
The organisation has shared a video for World Oceans Day, highlighting the risks of having shark nets in South African oceans. The nets, while stopping sharks from entering shallower waters, also risk the lives of turtles, whales and dolphins, to name a few.
“Happy World Oceans Day!
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To mark this day, we reached out to members of the public to get their views on the “bather safety nets” (shark nets) in Kwa-Zulu Natal.
A massive THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to the powerful message, and to the team who tied it all together.”
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