The Shark Free Beaches of NSW

The beach is without a doubt the playground for Australians. The formation of national identity is pinned on beach culture. "Australians are islanders and we've come to expect - almost as a kind of birthright, as much as a lifestyle - a certain kind of access to open beaches..." (source) From family holidays (if not in Bali) to national surf events and festivals it is the space to be in. On 2,000 kilometres of New South Wales coast, locals and visitors showcase their beach bodies, swim, surf, play sport and empty their dogs. It appears to be the place of equality. 'Our beach' turf is fiercely defended against 'the other' (Cronulla riots). Its is the only place of summer culture.

The beach as money-making machine
Urban beaches are manicured with fossil fuel and 'renourished' with sand when climate extremes gnaw on the edges. They are artifacts with fences, furniture, nets, signs and flags. Business, surf /events/ competitions - culture, recreation space: gym/sports groups etc monetize this space and depend on it functioning. When the 'cash cow' is closed there is an outcry.

Coastal sprawl and marine urbanisation
Historically the beach turned from a place of work to a (commercialised) leisure ground with the urbanisation of the coast. 85% of people live within 50 kilometres of the coastline today. Coastal sprawl and marine urbanisation seem to concrete the coast from Cairns to Melbourne merging swelling urban centers. The large cities boast degraded biodiversity (and shark nets) and it has become relatively safe to use the beach as if it is a pool. Polluting jet skis, inflatable rescue boats and helicopters are buzzing around swimmers at city beaches for the 'safety of beachgoers'. "Beaches around Sydney, Newcastle and the Central Coast are protected by shark nets, but there is no meshing on beaches in the far north." (source)

 
More people in shark habitats
Population growth (sea change /tree change etc) on the north coast of NSW brings more human beings into the ocean than ever before. "Data from the Australian Shark Attack File indicates the increase in Australian shark attacks coincides with the increasing human population, more people visiting beaches, a rise in the popularity of water-based fitness and recreational activities and people accessing previously isolated coastal areas." (source)
Swimming, diving and some surfing take place in the shallow water. In the deeper water, the ocean is conquered by new adventurous forms of activities going deeper and further in (paddle ski, kayaking, surfing, diving, windsurfing and whale watching in tinnies etc) These plastic-aided adventure activities take place well beyond the flags and far from the mainland.

"Let's not forget the ocean is the domain of the shark." (source)
Various (no take) refuges for marine biodiversity have been established along the coast. Sharks keep the ocean healthy. "Sharks and other ocean predators help protect the ocean's carbon stores by keeping other wildlife in check." (source)

How the presence of sharks and risks are further increased
Heating the ocean through our combustion of biomass seems to benefit the ancient marine predator that has been in the ocean for the last 400 million years. Various human activities, like polluting rivers, throwing fish offal into the beach, fishing or tourism operators using bait to deliberately attract sharks increase the presence of sharks and risks.

 
Shark encounters
Recently there have been 13 shark encounters, including one death off the north coast of NSW this year. (source) Various groups react in fear and want sharks culled or repelled. "Surfers on NSW north coast call for partial cull of sharks after recent months" (source) "Long-time surfers say they are now scared to get into the water." (source) The "far north NSW communities call for shark nets, immediate action to prevent shark attacks." (source)

Extinction - we are working on it...
"Australians in particular have a peculiar, pathological feeling about sharks." (source) Ideally the species should be wiped out (like so many other Australian species) so that man can industrialise the aquatic territory without fear. In the marine habitat, the shark is framed as usual as 'the problem' that needs a 'solution'. A feel-good self-deception, also known as denial could serve to kill this 'monster' and conquer the space for human purposes once and for all. Whatever 'fix' will win, it must be cost effective and be based on technology or fossil fuel. The aim is to 'cleanse' the 'playground' of the competing apex predators (sharks, crocodiles, etc.) so that no people or business interests are harmed. It is known that there is "no “silver bullet” for deterring sharks or stopping attacks." (source). No method is 100% effective, but doing anything would soothe the mind and business as usual could continue. To turn the ocean into a shark-free pool might continue to be a pipe dream.

Risks

The comparative 'tolls' for shark mauling, dog attacks and killings by motor cars makes one wonder, that if by that logic one ought to cull dogs and take these deadly combustion machines off the roads:

• There have been 15 shark-related incidents on the NSW coastline this year, 12 of them on the north coast. (source)
• There were 1,191 dog attacks in the 3rd quarter of 2014/2015 in NSW. (source)
• There have been 260 people killed  in NSW from crashing vehicles so far this year (the injured are not included) (source)

"The day you fail to find sharks cruising your favourite beach is the day you should really start to worry." (source)



Resources:
Concrete coastlines: it’s time to tackle our marine ‘urban sprawl’
http://theconversation.com/concrete-coastlines-its-time-to-tackle-our-marine-urban-sprawl-38175

Australian Shark Attack File
https://taronga.org.au/conservation/conservation-science-research/australian-shark-attack-file

New South Wales beaches closed for 24 hours after shark attack
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/aug/23/new-south-wales-beaches-closed-for-24-hours-after-shark-attack?CMP=soc_568

Surfers on NSW north coast call for partial shark cull
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2015/s4291914.htm

There is deep unease about sharks in northern New South Wales, 02.10.2015
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/oct/02/could-big-game-fishing-solve-the-problem-of-shark-attacks

Ballina Mayor David Wright fears Richmond River water quality could be to blame for shark activity
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-21/shark-meeting/6635678

Recreational fishermen may have unwittingly helped attract sharks to Coffs Harbour beach 16.06.2015
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-16/recreational-fishermen-might-have-unwittingly-helped-attract-sh/6549142

A dramatic increase in shark fishing, fuelled by the lucrative shark fin market, is threatening already endangered species along the NSW coast
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/fears-for-endangered-species-as-shark-fin-market-grows/2007/08/11/1186530673607.html

Man bites shark, The day you fail to find sharks cruising your favourite beach is the day you should really start to worry.
http://conservationbytes.com/2009/01/07/man-bites-shark/

Ellison, Elizabeth (2014) On the beach : exploring the complex egalitarianism of the Australian beach. In Horatschek, Anna-Margaretha, Roseberg, Yvonne, & Schaebler, Daniel (Eds.) Navigating Cultural Spaces : Maritime Places. Rodopi, Amsterdam, Netherlands, pp. 221-235. (PDF)

Updates:
Shields and smart buoys: new technology to protect sharks and people 06.10.2015
WA Premier tells Broome to 'quietly get rid of crocodiles' on Cable Beach to protect tourism abc 09.10.2015

One of the Margaret River region's two surf life saving clubs is experiencing a downturn in membership due to increased shark activity."Going to the beach is an inherent part of the West Australian lifestyle" abc 15.10.2015

Darimont CT, Fox CH, Bryan HM, and Reimchen TE (2015) The unique ecology of human predators. Science 21: 858-860.

The NSW government announces a $16m high-tech strategy to combat shark attacks along the 2,000 kilometres of beach line. 25.10.2015 SMH

"Recreational users want to go and enjoy the water undisturbed or without the fear of being disturbed by a shark." Professor Bax 28.10.2015 abc

Shark attacks hit NSW North Coast tourism’s bottom line 30.11.2015 coffs coast advocate

Shark nets used at most beaches do not protect swimmers, research suggests  Guardian 09.02.2016

Two rare Japanese stingrays killed by Queensland's shark control program on the Gold Coast
"Successive governments have recognised the vital role the shark control program has played in protecting human life at those beaches which attract tourists from all over the world and throughout the year.” abc 22.02.2016

IMAGES:
A crowded ocean, tiles Sydney
Man in Ocean, tiles
Shark mural, Coffs Harbour
Shark without a fin, Coffs Harbour Jetty

Sponges at Diggers Beach

Coral

Diggers Beach is part of the The Solitary Islands Marine Park Coastal Walk (pdf). A suburban beach where people come to surf, swim, jog, sun-bake and empty their dogs (illegally). Rarely does anyone look at the flora and fauna at the beach. The beach serves as a backdrop for their activities.

At high tide and during storms sponges are dislodged from their garden communities and end up amongst rocks, seaweed and shells at the beach. If one is observant, these ancient multi cellular organisms (Porifera) can be found in a multitude of colours and structures. They cling to the floor of the ocean and allow nutrient-containing water to circulate through their pores and channels. 

"Like all temperate life forms in the waters of southern Australia the habitat forming invertebrates in sponge gardens rely on clean water and sufficient nutrients and food particles to survive. Because many of the animals are permanently attached to the rock and unable to move around, they cannot go in search of food or flee from harm." (source)

They emerged 700 million years ago, when the oceans contained little oxygen. “The effects we predict suggest that the first animals, far from being a passive response to rising atmospheric oxygen, were the active agents that oxygenated the ocean around 600 million years ago....They created a world in which more complex animals could evolve, including our very distant ancestors.” (source)


http://www.marinespecies.org/porifera/
The WPD, the World Database of all Recent sponges ever described, is part of the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), a global initiative to arrive at a register of all marine organisms

http://www.nerpmarine.edu.au/
NERP Marine Biodiversity Hub

https://peerj.com/articles/901/
PeerJ: "Indirect effects of overfishing on Caribbean reefs: sponges overgrow reef-building corals"

Coffs Harbour: A place for whales and birds?

Coffs Harbour has been put on the map for watching whales and birds. Between June and November migrating humpback whales can be watched. The Solitary Islands Marine Park provides a refuge for them and many other marine species.

Also in August thousands of wedge-tailed shearwaters travel thousands of kilometres each year to return to the same burrows on Muttonbird Island Nature Reserve. It is the only easily-accessible place in NSW where the migratory wedge-tailed shearwaters nest.

Just when these migratory species dwell in the region, fossil fuel enthusiasts and the associated industries stage a 1000-horsepower speed boats race in the privatised 'natural amphitheatre' of Coffs Harbour. Rockets 'get airborne' and therefore are not supposed to shred any marine mammals. Sea creatures will simply get replaced by 'high horsepower marine monsters'. Local businesses are waving shopping bags and put up dysfunctional 'fairy lights' in trees to 'draw the crowds' to a run-of-the-mill town.

In a 100 % automobile dependent society with few footpaths and hardly any bike paths petrol runs in the veins of the population. Daily and recreational racing kill the dullness of a marginal existence. 'Boys with toys' are good consumers. They race the atmosphere-polluting machines on the Pacific Ocean and in the scenic hinterland of Coffs Harbour.

Having just thrown billions at the Pacific Highway one could have at least used this purpose-built road which is hacking its way through numerous wildlife habitats as a human-made race course 'amphitheatre'. Just privatise the space and let the benefiting industries pay for the usage. At the moment billboards along the highway appeal to motorists to reduce speed while the next billboards advertise car racing.

Staging such polluting and noisy events discourages visitors to come to the area for its natural aspects. Locals are deprived of a livable place and might move on or avoid shops sponsoring combustion festivals. It is the rapid conversion of a 'special place' to a non-place.

But in the country one just tolerates things ...

See also
Celebrating Fossil Fuel Culture on Forest Roads

Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals