Studying tourism's bite on sharks

Very interesting article this week on a new shark chumming study being done in Australia.

Kudos to the Rodney Fox operation for being involved in this study which will inevitably benefit the entire industry worldwide.

Great industry quotes by Andrew as well.

Image Andrew Fox:

SCIENTISTS are circling cage-diving operators as they try to find out how regular visits from tourists are affecting the behaviour of great white sharks.

Shark ecologist Dr Charlie Huveneers, from the South Australian Research and Development Institute and Flinders University, is leading the study.

The study aims to ensure cage-diving is safe for both the tourists and the sharks because great whites are a protected species threatened with extinction.

He said both of the existing tour operators used berley - a mixture of tuna blood, mince and offcuts - and baits to attract sharks without feeding them.

Preliminary research, in Australia and overseas, suggests sharks lose interest over time.

"The shark seems to come close to the boat for the first three or four days," he said. "After that they don't seem to be attracted by the berley as much."

Complete Story.