A $2-million Ocearch shark research and filming project in False Bay has attracted opposition from two shark cage diving operators and an author.
The Ocearch project, headed by American Chris Fischer, the producer of the dramatised Shark Men series on the National Geographic Channel, is conducting its operations around Seal Island for the next few days.
Fischer says all research will be made public. He has published maps of the sharks tagged during his operations in the Port Elizabeth and Mossel Bay areas on the Ocearch Facebook page. These show that the sharks immediately leave the area where they have been tagged and have been found to go as far as 40 degrees South, which has never before been recorded.
The Nat Geo Channel has not renewed the Shark Men series so the entire operation is being filmed by Fischer, a former big game fishing TV celebrity, who is reportedly funding the project to the tune of US $2 million (approx. R15.6 million).
Chris Fallows of Apex Shark Expeditions and Rob Lawrence from African Shark Eco-Adventures are vehemently opposed to the Ocearch project. Shark cage diving permit holders in False Bay were notified about the tagging project by Alison Kock, head shark scientist for False Bay and manager ofCape Town’s Shark Spotting Program.
Fischer has a South African governmental permit to use up to 5 000 kgs of fish chum over the 20-day duration of the local operations between Cape Point and Cape Agulhas to attract Great White sharks to the vicinity of his specially adapted 126 foot ship, then hook and fight the chosen sharks until they are exhausted before lifting the shark out of the water on a platform.
Up to 30 scientists from 16 organisations then have a maximum of 20 minutes to conduct experiments on the shark, including blood and sperm sampling and attaching a Smart Position Only Tag (SPOT). This tag is permanently bolted to the shark’s dorsal fin and the satellite tracking device is rteported to work for at least a couple of years.
Awareness of the research was first raised by Simon’s Town based wildlife photographer, Dr Dirk Schmidt, author of two books on Great Sharks, who issued a Shark Alert Advisory for ocean users in False Bay last week. Dr Schmidt notified ocean users of the possibility of increased shark activity in and around the research area.
Dr Schmidt has also asked Dr Mayekiso, the Deputy Director General for the Oceans and Coasts branch of the DEA, to urgently suspend the permit on a number of grounds. Dr Schmidt queries the amount of fish chum permitted and the fact that, if this does not attract the required sharks, then oil and scents from marine mammals may be used to create a ‘scent path’ in the area of the research – which may be as close as 2 000 metres from the coast. He also raises other logistics of the tagging project.
No official shark alert warning has been issued by theCape Town environmental authorities. Gregg Oelofse, the Head of Environmental Policy and Strategy, says that ‘permits for this kind of research is outside of the City’s jurisdiction and resides with DEAT.
Oelofse also says that the Ocearch project will only be operating in False Bay after the 20th of this month and the permit states that the City may place an observer on one of the project vessels in any operations that take place outside of the approved White Shark Cage Diving area in False Bay, provided they apply two days in advance.
See all the official official facts:
http://stfrancischronicle.com/2012/04/21/shark-attack-at-the-caves-all-the-official-facts/
See article on shark attack:
http://stfrancischronicle.com/2012/04/19/body-boarder-dies-after-shark-attack-at-gordons-bay/
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Re: “Chris Fallows of Apex Shark Expeditions and Rob Lawrence from African Shark Eco-Adventures are vehemently opposed to the Ocearch project”
I interviewed Rob Lawrence about his pro-chumming-for-shark point of view and he really shed some interesting light on the issue. In the interview Rob said that most of the people who are against shark cage diving and chumming for shark have never even been on a shark cage diving trip. For this reason people have a warped perception of what actually goes on on a charter like that.
I thought that was a very good and relevant observation.
Here is the full interview if you’re interested: http://www.discoverafrica.com/blog/chumming-for-shark-interview-with-rob-lawrence/