“When you enter the ocean you enter the food chain, and not necessarily at the top”

Jacques Cousteau

When I first heard about the shark cull in Western Australia, it beggared belief, had the North Korean leader secretly taken over leadership of Western Australia?

How can you justify culling a species on the endangered list? That is akin to A safari park starting a White Rhino cull because one charged and killed a foolish tourist that got too close to it whilst trying to take a selfie.

What are the shark attack stats for Western Australia? Are the locals being eaten en masse or more probably there have been a few serious attacks with even less fatalities for the whole year. Saying that, in no way do I mean any disrespect to anybody that has been a victim or related to a victim of a shark attack.

When I started filming Shark Central in False Bay, there were an unprecedented amount of serious attacks and fatalities. Only 2 people out of the many that I interviewed, floated the idea of a cull, fortunately in spite of the unprecedented severity of the attacks, culling the Great White was never seriously considered as it is indeed an endangered species which has a massive role to play in the marine ecosystem, not just in False Bay, but globally.

At some stage I am sure the general public asks the question, ‘If the Great White Shark becomes extinct, how does it affect me?’ Have you ever considered the fact that the three pillars or components of our existence are ecological, economic and social, highlighting the fact that we all belong to the same system. We are all linked and a collapse in any one of those pillars or components could cause a collapse in the very system you are a part of. Understanding the relevance of a Great White Shark in your life might not be of paramount importance now, however it being an ‘indicator species’ makes this species a gauge, or measure, of the impact your lifestyle on our planet.

In fact exactly the opposite took place. Craig Bovim a very fortunate survivor of a particularly nasty attack, in which he nearly lost both his hands as well as his life, became an advocate of the great white shark and conserving it. This is where I drew inspiration for my documentary, there were times interviewing him and other victims, I could see that their scars were not only physical, they seemed to be struggling to come to terms mentally with their ordeal. For me, I was amazed how a community, in coming to terms with this new threat, had never lost sight of the bigger picture: one planet and we all live on it, with a desire to find a way to co exist and reduce Human Animal conflict.

Western Australia needs to heed & accept Jacques Cousteau`s wise words: “When you enter the ocean you enter the food chain, and not necessarily at the top”

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