Is chumming to blame for recent shark sightings?

It is constantly argued whether chumming affects our sea life’s behavior or not.

Although, seeing the evidence from past and recent shark attacks and sightings, it seems obvious that chumming is too blame since it always seems to happen near by or close to the time of the attacks. There is still no complete evidence that this is causing the increasing amount of shark visits but this is hard to decipher since we know so little about the creatures.

This brings up the argument relative to the recent shark attack in Kogels Bay. National Geographic show, Shark Men brought their crew and equipment to False Bay to study Cape Town’s population of sharks.

While doing this they emitted 30l of bloody fish meat into the ocean to attract the sharks. There was a westerly wind blowing which could’ve pushed the chum onto shore and been the reason why the shark was hovering in that area. Communication Department, City of Cape Town, 2012. Report and Review of Events at Kogel Bay “Caves” After Great White Shark Attack. [online] Available at: http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/MediaReleases/Pages/ReportandReviewofEventsatKogelBayCavesAfterGreatWhiteSharkAttack.aspx [accessed 21 April 2012]

The argument is, is it necessary to release chum into the ocean in order to study these creatures? When it is proven that sharks are prominent in the specific area and don’t necessarily need to be attracted with chum because they will be present without it. Chumming just seems to be an extra danger to the locals.

Although there were warnings to all local bathers and surfers of the area previous to the study of the shark study, it was still a very risky measure to take and ended up endangering people’s lives. Surely there is another root to take to attracting the predators.

It is proven and stated many a time that attracting a shark with a piece of meat on the end of a hook aggravates the shark because it is unable to get it. The Washington Post states this clearly about another experiment with sharks and chumming, “Chum inspired intense frustration among the sharks because they cant easily get at the dead fish...”. This results in it becoming aggressive and leaves it to swim away in this state searching for other food vigorously. So being observers of sharks behavior and knowing so much about them, surely the crew of shark men would know this would happen. Juliet Eilperin, 2012. Using ‘chum cams,’ scientists find protected areas benefit sharks. [online] Available at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/using-chum-cams-scientists-find-protected-areas-benefit-sharks/2012/03/06/gIQAIM3mzR_story.html  [accessed 21 April 2012]

Marissa, 2011. The Apex Predator of the Sea [image online] Available at: http://dontbeafraidoftheshark.blogspot.com/2011/08/what-not-to-do-in-ocean.html [accessed 21 April 2012]

Many of the people believe that chumming is the cause of the more frequent shark sightings along shores. While others debate that it is the fisherman’s doing since they’re consuming majority of the sharks food, this turning them to search for food closer to the shores. Mark Bond says in an article in Washington Post that in the Caribbean, and experiment was done in the areas where fishing is banned and these are the areas where there is a bigger populations of sharks. This is proven to be untrue, because fully grown, hunting sharks are known to hunt seals and not fish. Sharks can also pick up the scent of blood less than a quarter of a mile away and will smell a single drop of blood in 100l of water.

So which situation seems more likely to be the cause of bringing the sharks to our shores? It seems as though there is more evidence against chumming then any other reason for the situation. Juliet Eilperin, 2012. Using ‘chum cams,’ scientists find protected areas benefit sharks. [online] Available at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/using-chum-cams-scientists-find-protected-areas-benefit-sharks/2012/03/06/gIQAIM3mzR_story.html [accessed 21 April 2012]