Shark! The Threat in Australia

For some reason, there haven't been very many National Geographic Magazine articles about Australia in the last year since I started this travel blog.  Today's article is Shark Fishing - an Australian Industry, Norman Ellison, September, 1932. I didn't get very far into the article before I read about the many shark attacks near Australian coasts, "The menace is sometimes so serious that it is proposed to supplement the present shark lookouts with either airplanes or captive balloons," (p. 369).

How many swimmers were eaten to warrant that level of monitoring?  Thousands per year? A quick Google search at www.taronga.org.au gave the number of shark attacks in the whole of Australia for the last 100 years: total cases: 786, fatal: 170, injured: 466, uninjured: 150.  Let's see what Mr. Ellison says about sharks.

There was high demand for ladies shoes and purses, luggage and attache cases made from sharkskin in 1932.  Thus, a British company went to Australia, where it was reported there were an incredible number and variety of sharks.  They found such  an area in the village of Pindimar, on the coast of the New South Wales province, in the eastern part of the country.  They established an extremely successful shark fishing industry.

I will admit to being a product of environmental concerns regarding potential extinction of species.  Also, I remember learning that whales were almost hunted to extinction before there were some international protections in place.  I found that how these sharks were hunted and killed seemed savage to me.  Realistically, I supposes there is no difference in killing a cow for leather and meat or a shark. Shark leather is extremely tough and durable.

Mr. Ellison reports the Pindimar record of a 15-foot tiger shark.  The liver alone weighed 200 pounds and yielded 16 gallons of oil, which resembled cod liver oil and was used medicinally.

Notable facts about the mix of people and sharks in Australia in 1932: on one beach alone, there were more than 50,000 people enjoying the sun!  There were metal fences in the shallow waters separating many beaches into areas for bathers close to shore from any wandering sharks.

Another Google check for 2014 showed that the shark industry is still alive and well, with even more products advertised for sale.  I feel that if a particular species were threatened, there would no doubt be a public outcry and legal protection for sharks.