Shark Spotters are an organisation based in Cape Town that works to save human lives but also promotes the conservation of Great White Sharks
Cape Town, South Africa (05 April 2017) – Great White Sharks are threatened globally; in South Africa, they are protected. Shark bites on water users have a negative impact on the conservation of the sea creature; this is sad as they are wild and in danger so their protection is vital. Bites also have an impact on tourism and local business.
Two community projects were started to help with sharks and bite prevention. These two projects joined and became the Shark Spotters.
Shark Spotters has proven to be an effective warning system in Cape Town with hundreds of shark sightings recorded. However, Shark Spotters is not 100% effective due to human error, weather and sea conditions. Entering the ocean is done so at the individuals own risk.
MySchool South Africa recently donated R7,500.00 that will go towards an educational beach safety fun day that the organisation is planning for underprivileged learners.
The organisation employs 15 – 20 shark spotters that are located at the top 9 beaches in Cape Town.
Additional advantages of the programme are job creation and skills development for disadvantaged groups, environmental education and awareness to the public and collection of data to contribute to the knowledge base of white shark coastal occurrence.
The organisation makes use of flags to notify beachgoers of any potential risk; it also has an informative Twitter account that publishes any sightings. They also take out a shark exclusion net at Fish Hoek beach which helps prevent sharks from entering a specific zone.
The exclusion net forms a physical barrier to prevent sharks from entering the ‘exclusion zone’ and in this case is designed to be deployed and retrieved on a daily basis.
Exclusion nets are environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional shark nets.