We thought this shit was finished with - the targeting of marine animals in a marine envoronment, for swimming in the ocean. The OCEAN is where sharks live and eat and procreate - they dont have a plan B; humans CAN swim in the ocean, but they dont HAVE to; IF you choose to swim or surf or snorkel or dive in the ocean, there is a MINUSCULE risk that you may get bitten or stung by something - the understanding of that risk is tacit and implied by your use of the ocean. Your risk of drowning in Australia is about 100 times greater than being dieing as a result of a shark bite. The current public enemy number 1 (actually, just Governments enemy number 1 - most of the public (the informed ones) think we should leave sharks alone) is a juvenile White shark, currently frequenting Warnbro Sound because of the snapper populations - as understood and publicly declared by Fisheries themselves. She is being actively targeted with baited drumlines, despite the fact that this shark is tagged and poses no risk as long as people stay out of the areas where they have been advised she is frequenting. Yesterday there was another innocent victim of this governments archaic slash and burn mentality - a small Tiger shark, lured to the bait, painfully hooked through the mouth and released by cutting the shank of the bolt and leaving the hook in her mouth - FISHING FOR THE FUTURE! Soooo... thanks Cullin - instead of having a rare relaxed Saturday with no commitments except what would have been a beautiful dinner feast with valued friends, I was up at 5 AM and spent 7 hours on a boat on pretty hairy seas - most of it standing up and hanging on like grim death. I had a mango at 5 AM and some crisps at 2 pm; I came home covered in a crust of salt from being perpetually sprayed with sea water; my shoulders and knees are aching today (Im getting too old for this shit!) from countering the roll and pitch and yaw and wave jumping of the boat, and I was too knackered to make the dinner date. I would and will do it all again But actually... REALLY - thank you Cullin - because I got to spend a day with true heroes who I also consider friends; I got to spend a day standing up for something I believe in; I like to think I got to spend the day making it harder for Fisheries to catch and kill a fellow Earthling and I got to spend the day on an ocean I vow to protect to the best of my ability. And WE have a huge groundswell of community support and outrage behind us - you, Cullin, have been the catalyst for a formidable social justice movement, and we will not stop or be silenced - we will NOT get back in our box, but we will see that you do. Thank you to Shannon and Natalie for the use of your boat and to Shannon , Jake and Blair for the expert skippering, thank you to Sammie for the local knowledge, thank you to Mike, Georgie, Marta, Michele and Axel aboard Bruce The Rib for your dogged persistence and for still being out there when we were taking a break while they caught and injured a Tiger shark.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Dec 2014 07:00:59 +0000
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