Shark nets shown to trap more than sharks

It is good news to me that something that has been known for a long time is again brought to light in an article published today by The Age in Melbourne:

Shark nets lining the coast of Australia are doing more harm than good by killing dozens of other marine species, a conservationist study has found.

The 150-metre long shark nets, reaching all the way to the ocean floor, dot the coast line to protect beachgoers from attacks from great white, tiger and bull sharks.

However, a study by the Sydney Aquarium Conservation Fund has found that for every threatening shark caught in the nets, up to 40 harmless marine creatures are trapped, including dolphins and turtles.

The effectiveness of the nets was made blatantly clear today in an unexpected development during a Sydney Aquarium demonstration of the nets' construction and framework.

An unsuspecting shark hovering on the oceanarium floor became entangled in the demo net, and had frantic divers trying to free the distressed creature before it was injured.

The conservation fund was launching a project aimed at raising the awareness of the threat shark nets pose to Australia's aquatic ecosystems.

For the original article go to:

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/tangled-up-in-blue/2007/08/30/1188067272010.html

Contributed by Tim Hochgrebe added 2007-08-31