KwaZulu-Natal surfers and divers will stage a paddle-out this weekend in support of marine life killed in shark nets.
Boats, jet skis, paddle boarders, and surfers will paddle out from Umkomaas, Scottburgh, and Rocky Bay on Sunday at 7am, and will meet at the shark nets where they will stay for about half an hour.
“We are protesting against the damage caused to sharks, whales, and other marine life, by the nets,” said Mark Addison of Blue Wilderness, an underwater filming logistics and expedition company.
Addison said the paddle-out was open to the public and that he was hoping for about 200 people to participate.
The paddle-out was triggered by the capture of 14 tiger sharks in the nets in April.
The sharks were thought to have been attracted to the nets by a whale carcass which became entangled.
Diver Cormac McCreesh and others believe the nets should not be in the Aliwal Shoal marine protected area. The shoal is a large rocky reef that lies about 7km offshore between Umkomaas and Scottburgh.
McCreesh said Aliwal Shoal was a popular spot for sightings of sharks, turtles, whales, dolphins and other marine life.
KZN Sharks Board operations head Mike Anderson-Reade said at this stage, there were no alternatives to protect marine life and bathers.
“We can’t use shark spotters like Cape Town because our water conditions are generally poor and unclean,” he said.
The board was considering electrical repulsion and shark repellents to protect bathing areas.
“We hope to use that technology some time in the future, but right now it’s in the early stages of development. It’s a groundbreaking technology,” said Anderson-Reade.
Between 500 and 600 sharks a year are caught in the nets.
- Daily News
*To participate in the paddle-out, call Mark Addison at 083 303 1515, or e-mail info@ bluewilderness.co.za.