It is now summertime in Australia which means the beaches are teeming with sun fiends and surfers, which means only
one thing to Great Whites lurking off the coast: snack time. And the
attack of a surfer last month
has raised the question of whether to put up shark nets on some of the best surfing beaches.
Conservationists argue the nets have a negative effect on marine life, but the fact is, they are a proven deterrent to
sharks seeking surfers for lunch. According to
the peice, in the past 40
years there has only been one fatal shark attack at the 134 beaches protected by shark nets. Yet there have been 15
deaths in South Australia, 12 in Western Australia, and 7 in Victoria—all states that lack shark nets along their
beaches.
Seems like nets are a pretty good idea.