Woman swims naked with sharks for conservation

KNOWN as the Shark Warrior, Lesley Rochat took on a daring stunt in aid of her campaign, Get Hooked on Conservation, Ban Drumlines, when she dived with reef sharks off Durban’s coastline naked. 

On her blog, Rochat said she felt extreme times called for extreme measures after worldwide shark culling figures soared: “In light of the international outcry by conservationists and scientists against the culling of sharks in Western Australia using drumlines, we decided to turn the spotlight back home.”

She also turned her attention to the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board, based in uMhlanga, who she said has been using drumlines for decades following seven fatal shark bites between 1943 and 1951 in SA, having gotten the idea from Australia, who had been using the same methods since 1937.
“The loss of large sharks such a tiger sharks is having a severely negative impact on the shark eco-tourism business in KZN,” she said. 

She went on to write that ‘this senseless slaughter’ of marine life is perpetuated by public fear, a public, who she said, ‘knows no better.’
“Through this campaign we are raising awareness and lobbying against the use of drumlines and shark nets in SA and Australia.”

But the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board (KZNSB) said it is mandated by the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board Act No. 5 of 2008 to provide protection to bathers from shark attacks at 38 beaches off the KZN coast. 
In total, from 2006 to 2010, 546.4 sharks were caught on drumlines and in shark nets and 469.8 of those sharks died, while only 76.6 were released again.

“In order to achieve this, shark safety gear is deployed off these beaches. This gear is designed to capture sharks and thereby reduce the likelihood of an attack occurring. The track record of the gear in achieving this goal cannot be disputed. Unfortunately the nets do take a by-catch of non-target species. 

“It is for this reason that the KZNSB embarked on a net reduction programme during the late 1990’s and began introducing drumlines in 2006,” said the board’s Mike Anderson-Reade.

He added that there will always be environmental opposition to the methods currently used in the bather protection programme, but said there are, however, at this time no suitable alternatives. 
“The board however is continually open to and exploring non-lethal alternatives,” he said. 

At an approximate running cost of R32-million a year, the culling programme at the board also received a special grant of R9-million in 2012 to enable it to continue with its endeavours to seek a non-lethal alternative to protect bathers from shark attacks. Rochat also questioned why it was only sharks that were dissected. Anderson-Reade responded: ” Part of the KZNSB’s legislative mandate is to educate the public on sharks and safe bathing hence the dissection of sharks.”

In March an Austrian tourist was killed by what is believed to be a bull shark on Port St Johns’ notorious Second Beach. It was reported that the man, who was in his 70s, was waist deep in the water when attacked. 
For more on the campaign, visit www.lesleyrochat.com and for more on the KZNSB visit www.sharks.co.za