Blood in the water

Question
Does chumming affect the behavior of sharks?

ANSWER

For the past 3 years I have been working at the Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Centre in Kalk Bay to help develop an education and awareness program with the Save Our Seas Foundation. During this time at presentations and awareness I have constantly been asked about whether there is a link between shark tourism and the increase in shark activity amongst water users.

The subject is volatile and as an educator it is my responsibility to help make the info from SOS scientific research available to the public.

There are many aspects to the debate. There has not been a great deal of research into this matter and there is a great deal to be learned about sharks. There are few people willing to claim to be authorities on the subject of chumming and scientists will only base their findings on sound data.

Water users have varied opinions but rely on a gut feeling that the chumming leads to more shark encounters and attacks.

This situation of more attacks and encounters is also attributed to more water users and more sharks since conservation measures were introduced to protect sharks (Since 1991 white sharks have been protected in SA)

Conservationists approve of the shark tourism industry as this encourages an awareness and appreciation of sharks.

Scientists use chumming and other measures to attract sharks to their boats in carrying out their research. Their research is important as we need to conserve marine life so need to understand as much as possible. Sharks are apex predators and so are vital in the food chain. They cannot be removed without the effects unbalancing the entire food chain. Sharks are under threat for a number of reasons and their plight needs to be taken seriously.

Many water users appreciate the need for conservation including sharks, but feel they should be left alone. If people want to see them they should visit an aquarium, they say.

Lifeguards, on the other hand, are concerned with water safety and would like to see fool proof solutions put in place to prevent shark attacks. There are even those not opposed to culling and eliminating what they believe to be rogue sharks.

Shark cage operators argue that they are educating people in the interest of marine conservation and their ventures are valuable to the county’s economy.

Within this ongoing debate there are many suggestions being made for a sensible way forward by all parties and one can only hope that in time things settle down as solutions are found and systems develop where things can go ahead in the interests of all parties. At the moment heated debate is not difficult to stir up. As an educator, the best way to work constructively within this arena is:

1. To place sensible info on the Internet where the public can access it.
2. Keep opinions out of things, and stay with the facts.
3. Provide a service where people can ask questions, and if they are of general interest place the question and answer for all to see on the internet.
4. Provide a service where water users can send accounts of their experiences with sharks. Where these accounts are realistic and provide worthwhile info about shark behavior and chumming issues the info is filed under appropriate headings. As info is collected patterns should emerge ie if a number of responsible people observe a certain trend then this would have value as a reliable source of info about shark behavior. This record can then be provided as a responsible document recording the experiences of water users to stand alongside the scientific info and help influence decisions etc to arrive at realistic solutions.
5. Help people who feel strongly about the subject direct their energy and efforts in a constructive direction.

Below is the statement from Alison Kock (SOS Scientist researching Great white Sharks)

SHARK-BASED TOURISM AND ENCOUNTERS

A link between white shark encounters by ocean users and white shark tourism activities that involve chumming and baiting has been claimed in the wake of shark encounters that occur in South Africa. However, no evidence has been presented confirming this allegation.

Facts

1. The white shark cage diving industry (WSCD) is managed and regulated by the Department of Environmental Affairs. The WSCD policy is informed by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996), environmental best practice and the Marine Living Resources Act (1998).
2. Research started in 1998 to investigate the impact that chumming and baiting has on shark behaviour. Results have found no evidence to link white shark viewing and cage diving operations with an increase in risk to ocean users from white sharks in the inshore waters of Cape Town.
3. Some degree of conditioning may occur between white sharks and chumming when operators do not comply with regulations and allow sharks to feed on the bait (when sharks receive a reward). However, it appears that if this conditioning takes place it would be between the shark and the boat and not  linked to any conditioning with humans as a potential prey item.
4. Conversely, when white shark tourism operators abide by the regulations and sharks do not gain significant food rewards, negative conditioning may occur and the animals lose interest in the boat. Such sharks demonstrated the ability to ignore chumming and baiting vessels as they are perceived to represent a ‘false promise’ of food.
5. The problem of some operators not complying with their permit regulations and repeatedly feeding sharks is largely driven by client expectations of the JAWS experience (aggressive sharks wrestling with the bait). This, however, can be remedied by 1) limiting the amount of bait carried on cage diving boats, 2) implementing an independent observer programme on each boat to monitor compliance, 3) create greater awareness among the tourists about cage diving regulations, 4) and providing tourists with channels where complaints may be registered and in turn taking appropriate action against offending operators.However, even the perception of a link between shark viewing and cage diving operations and white shark encounters is detrimental to shark conservation, and the long-term viability of the shark-based tourism industry. For this reason it is essential that the operators work with the authorities to ensure an open, transparent, monitored and publicly reported industry.
6. Sound scientific research on the effects of shark viewing and cage diving on white sharks must continue and used to inform management of the industry where new information becomes available. It is also crucial that not all white shark congregation sites are opened to shark-based tourism. Such sites represent important comparative research sites and will limit the industry’s ecological impact on the white shark.
7. Shark-based tourism, when done responsibly and with respect for the sharks and their environment, can have an unparalleled positive impact on the conservation of sharks through fostering a deep appreciation for these maligned animals, busting the ‘man-eater’ myths and creating awareness of the threats so many sharks face.

Further reading:

Finding a Balance Report
Laroche, R. K., Kock, A. A., Dill, L. and Oosthuizen, H. (2006). Effects of provisioning tourism on the behaviour of white sharks
WSCD policy (download from www.environment.org.za)
http://www.africageographic.com/sharksafaris.asp
http://saveourseas.com/blog/the_ocean_is_theirs...the_facts_on_shark_cage_diving