"No longer does everyone believe that every single shark life is sacred."
Two prominent voices are questioning the official approach, challenging the prevailing narrative as is the fashion to say, to Great White sharks in Western Australia after three fatal attacks this year: an award-winning journalist and author who, let’s be frank ain’t green, who argues that a few individual sharks are doing the killing, and a former state fisheries scientist who says the population has been badly underestimated for decades.
Christian is among the state’s most decorated journalists. His book “Stalking Claremont” about a suburban serial killer won the 2021 Ned Kelly Award for Best True Crime. He’s also got an Order of Australia Medal on a mantelpiece somewhere.
The column followed the death of Greg O’Neill, 63, in mid-September, who was eaten alive by a large Great White, the animal thrashing him to and fro in front of onlookers, while swimming twenty yards off Sorrento Beach. Christian rejected the common scientific view that sharks bite humans by mistake. He argued that Great Whites often linger for hours after a fatal attack, giving authorities time to catch them, as he said they could have after Mr. O’Neill’s death and the 2000 death of Ken Crew at North Cottesloe.
His central claim concerns a 2016 tracking study, which he wrote showed the same three tagged sharks repeatedly returning to metropolitan beaches. He asked whether the finding had been played down because it could create pressure to remove protected animals. Christian also drew on the “rogue shark” theory where a few Great Whites are doin’ the killing.
“Academics join others who poo-poo the ‘rogue shark’ theory and campaign heavily against removing sharks for ‘revenge’, though this would at least eliminate the possibility that the same shark may return and endanger others,” Christian writes.
A separate argument, about numbers rather than individual sharks, has come from Jim Penn, the state’s former chief fisheries scientist, who has more than 40 years of experience in stock assessment. Speaking to The West Australian, he called for an independent review of the population’s size and long-term trends.
The most recent estimate, a 2018 assessment by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, put the southwestern stock at about 1,500 adults. Applying the adult-to-juvenile ratio from the eastern estimate, Dr. Penn suggested the total could be close to 10k Great Whites. If so, only 1 to 2 percent of the state’s white sharks are tagged. The state’s Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development says 171 have been tagged in Western Australia.
Dr. Penn linked the likely growth to surging prey, including salmon, migrating humpback whales and expanding fur seal colonies, some of which lie near recent fatal attack sites at Rottnest Island and Albany. Ignoring that food supply, he told the newspaper, “defies biological logic.”
He contrasted the region with New South Wales, where about 600 Great Whites were killed in beach nets over 90 years. The southern and western stocks were never heavily depleted, he argued, so blanket federal protection was not justified there.
By his count, Western Australia recorded one fatality in the 30 years before the federal listing and 22 in the 30 years since, a 2100 percent increase.
Yeah, two thousand percent and then some. Wild.
Penn compared the situation to saltwater crocodiles, whose recovery under protection has made swimming in parts of northern Australia dangerous. He is not calling for a cull.
Christian, meanwhile, says it ain’t unheard of for cowboys to do a little Great White huntin’ of their own.
Here’s a true story for those who like to ridicule the theory that only a few of the many Great White sharks are responsible for human deaths: Some years ago, but this century, WA surfers were being taken by Great Whites at an alarming rate. Their grieving mates got sick of waiting for government action on the protected species.They accessed a big boat, found and shot a 5m female Great White, took photos and towed the carcass way out to sea. The attacks on surfers stopped immediately.
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I side with Stephen King. Put a C02 canister in every sharks’ mouth and have a sniper ready to fire. Problem solved.
List of all recorded fatal shark incidents in the Mediterranean Sea region.
GREECE 🇬🇷
492 B.C
Off Sepias, Thessaly
Victim: Persian Males (Sailors/Soldiers)
Activity: Sea Disaster/Warfare
Injury: Various (Many Consumed)
Species: White/Mako/Blue Sharks
336 B.C
Haven Of Cantharus, Athens
Victim: Greek Male (Candidate For Initiation)
Activity: Bathing/Washing Pig
Injury: Half Consumed (Legs)
Species: White Shark
214 B.C
Ionian Sea
Victim: Tharsys (Greek)
Activity: Sponge Diving
Injury: Half Consumed (Legs)
Species: White Shark
77 A.D
Ionian Islands
Victim: Greek Males
Activity: Sponge Diving
Injury: Various
Species: White Sharks
July 19, 1847
Mandrakina Harbour, Corfu Island
Victim: Pvt. William Mills (British Soldier)
Age: 19
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
January, 1863
Corfu Island
Victim: Male
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Unknown
Species: Unknown
September 7, 1876
Cyclades Archipelago, Aegean Sea
Victim: Greek Male
Activity: Sponge Diving
Injury: Half Consumed (Torso)
Species: White Shark
June 28, 1937
Thessaloniki, Aegean Sea
Victim: A. Arvanitakis
Activity: Fishing/Swimming Near Boat
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
September 22, 1948
Keratsini Wharf, Athens
Victim: Dimitrios Parasakos
Age: 17
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
1950
Piraeus, Athens
Victim: Male
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Unknown
Species: Unknown
August 17, 1951
Mon Repos, Corfu Island
Victim: Vanda Pierri
Age: 16
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
1951
Thessaly
Victim: Martha Hatagouei
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Unknown
Species: Unknown
July, 1954
Kalamata, Peloponnese Peninsula
Victim: Two Greek Males
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Both Major Lacerations
Species: Unknown (Several Sharks)
July, 1956
Kerkyra, Corfu Island
Victim: Margoulis (Female)
Age: 15
Activity: Swimming Off Yacht
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
June 1, 1963
Paleo Trikeri Island, Thessaly
Victim: Helga Pohl
Age: 42
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
May 8, 1965
Volos, Thessaly
Victim: Female
Age: 17
Activity: Swimming/Cliff Jumping
Injury: Unknown
Species: Unknown
Mid 20th Century (Circa)
Symi Island, Dodecanese Archipelago
Victim: Greek Male
Activity: Sponge Diving/Ascending To Surface
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
ITALY 🇮🇹
725 B.C
Ischia, Tyrrhenian Sea
Victim: Etruscan Sailors
Activity: Swimming/Shipwreck
Injury: Various (Many Consumed)
Species: White/Mako/Blue Sharks
June, 1721
Sardinia, Maddalena Archipelago
Victim: Italian Male
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
June 4, 1738
Strait Of Messina, Sicily
Victim: Male
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Unknown
Species: White Shark
January, 1868
Trieste, Adriatic Sea
Victim: Italian Male
Activity: Swimming/Bathing
Injury: Major Lacerations (Legs)
Species: White Shark
March 15, 1897
Off Catania, Sicily
Victim: Male (Sailor)
Activity: Swimming/Alongside Ship
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
May 4, 1899
Bordighera, Imperia
Victim: English Male (Valet)
Activity: Swimming/Bathing
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
August 29, 1902
Nicotera Marina, Bay Of Naples
Victim: Italian Male
Age: 20s
Activity: Swimming/With Friends
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
June 30, 1904
Ancona, Adriatic Sea
Victim: Male
Activity: Swimming/Wading In Surf
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
July 23, 1926
Varazze, Ligurian Sea
Victim: Augusto Casellato
Age: 20
Activity: Swimming/Aquatic Race
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
November 3, 1951
Amalfi, Tyrrhenian Sea
Victim: Anna Wurn
Age: 21
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
September 2, 1962
San Circeo, Tyrrhenian Sea
Victim: Maurizio Sarra
Age: 28
Activity: Spearfishing
Injury: Major Lacerations (Legs)
Species: White Shark
February 2, 1989
Golfo Di Baratti, Piombino
Victim: Luciano Costanzo
Age: 47
Activity: Spearfishing/On Surface (Scuba)
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
CROATIA 🇭🇷
July 31, 1900
Volosko, Opatija
Victim: Male (Quarry Worker)
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Leg Severed
Species: White Shark
July 14, 1907
Sućuraj, Hvar Island
Victim: Female
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Leg Severed
Species: White Shark
August 12, 1907
Krk Island, Rijeka
Victim: Josep Slivovic
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
September 11, 1907
Sućuraj, Hvar Island
Victim: Austrian Female (School Teacher)
Age: 30s
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
July 8, 1908
Medulin, Istrian Peninsula
Victim: Melina Scambelli
Age: 16
Activity: Boating/Fell Overboard
Injury: Leg Severed
Species: White Shark
August 21, 1934
Kraljevica, Rijeka
Victim: Verica Novak
Age: 17
Activity: Swimming/Near Tuna Nets
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
July 1, 1935
Sušak, Rijeka
Victim: Mira Kudlich
Age: 22
Activity: Swimming/Near Tuna Nets
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
August, 1944
Vis Island, Adriatic Sea
Victim: American Airman (M-24 Bomber)
Activity: Plane Crash/Clinging To Wreckage
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
July, 1954
Lovran, Istrian Peninsula
Victim: Stipe Baščevan (JNA Officer)
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
August 26, 1955
Opatija, Rijeka
Victim: Karla Podzun
Age: 32
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
September 24, 1961
Opatija, Rijeka
Victim: Sabit Plana
Age: 19
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Limbs Severed (Legs/Hand)
Species: White Shark
August 16, 1966
Bakar, Kvarner Bay
Victim: Josef Treliac
Age: 33
Activity: Swimming/Near Tuna Nets
Injury: Major Lacerations (Legs/Torso)
Species: White Shark
September 5, 1971
Ika, Kvarner Bay
Victim: Stanislav Klepa
Age: 34
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Leg Severed
Species: White Shark
August 10, 1974
Lokva Rogoznica, Omiš
Victim: Rolf Schneider
Age: 21
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Foot Severed
Species: White Shark
1974
Preluk Beach, Opatija
Victim: Czech Tourist
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Unknown
Species: Unknown
SPAIN 🇪🇸
1764
Guadalquivir Rivermouth, Málaga
Victim: Spanish Male (Sailor)
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
June 14, 1862
Off Algeciras, Cádiz
Victim: Edward Tibbets (SS Kearsarge)
Age: 18
Activity: Swimming/Alongside Ship
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
July 25, 1862
San Andreas Beach, Málaga
Victim: Joaquin Rosales Martinez
Age: 18
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Leg Severed
Species: White Shark
July 25, 1864
Beśos Rivermouth, Barcelona
Victim: Spanish Male
Activity: Swimming/Near Abbattoir
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
August 28, 1908
Cape Finestere, Galicia
Victim: William Newbury
Age: 26
Activity: Fell Overboard (Steamship Arabia)
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
July 31, 1911
Cueta, Gibraltar Strait
Victim: Spanish Male (Soldier)
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Major Lacerations (Leg)
Species: Mako Shark
1912
Isla Cabrera, Balearic Islands
Victim: Spanish Male
Activity: Fishing/Fell Overboard
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
EGYPT 🇪🇬
1827
Alexandria
Victim: Two Egyptian Males
Activity: Fishing/Boat Capsized
Injury: Both Consumed
Species: White Shark
August 22, 1867
Port Said Wharf
Victim: Greek Male
Activity: Swimming/Diving
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
June 2, 1890
Port Said Wharf
Victim: Greek Male
Age: 20s
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Limbs Severed (Leg/Hand)
Species: White Shark
1938
Mersa Matruh
Victim: Male
Activity: Sponge Diving
Injury: Unknown
Species: Unknown
TURKEY 🇹🇷
January, 1929
Yeşilköy, Marmara Sea
Victim: Two Turkish Males
Activity: Fishing/Shark Capsized Boat
Injury: Both Consumed
Species: White Shark
September 17, 1948
Yumurtalik, Adana Province
Victim: Ali Kaymaz
Age: 19
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Legs Severed
Species: White Shark
July 5, 1967
Tulza, Marmara Sea
Victim: Dr. Güngör Güven
Age: 36
Activity: Spearfishing (Scuba)
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
LIBYA 🇱🇾
October 12, 1899
Off Benghazi, Libyan Sea
Victim: Skoumbourdi
Activity: Sponge Diving
Injury: Legs Severed
Species: White Shark
1905
Kirinaiki, Libyan Sea
Victim: Greek Male
Activity: Sponge Diving
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
November 25, 2017
Off Gars Garabulli
Victim: African Migrants
Age: Various
Activity: Swimming/Boats Capsized
Injury: Various (Some Consumed)
Species: Blue Sharks
MALTA 🇲🇹
February 25, 1890
Munxar Reef, Marsacala
Victim: Salvatore & Agnostino Bujega
Activity: Fishing/Boat Capsized By Shark
Injury: Both Consumed
Species: White Shark
July 20, 1956
St. Thomas Bay, Marsacala
Victim: Jack Smedley
Age: 40
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
LEBANON 🇱🇧
1876
Batroun, Levantine Sea
Victim: Greek Male
Activity: Sponge Diving
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
June 22, 1893
Off Tripoli, Levantine Sea
Victim: British Sailors (HMS Victoria)
Activity: Shipwreck/Warfare
Injury: Various (Some Consumed)
Species: Blue Sharks
ALGERIA 🇩🇿
March 1, 1811
Off Algerian Coast
Victim: John Walker (British Sailor)
Activity: Fell Overboard/Swimming To Ship
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
July 16, 1844
Cape Matifou
Victim: Male
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Unknown
Species: Unknown
MONTENEGRO 🇲🇪
July 13, 1955
Mogren Beach, Budva
Victim: Stevica Tomašević
Age: 21
Activity: Swimming/Jumped Off Rocks
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
SLOVENIA 🇸🇮
July 15, 1954
Punta Grossa, Koper
Victim: Hungarian Male (Refugee)
Activity: Swimming/Escaping (Night)
Injury: Consumed
Species: White Shark
TUNISIA 🇹🇳
April 25, 1909
Off Sfax, Gulf Of Gabes
Victim: Johannis Zambetta
Age: 36
Activity: Sponge Diving/On Surface
Injury: Leg Severed
Species: White Shark
CYPRUS 🇨🇾
September 23, 1901
Larnaca, Levantine Sea
Victim: Greek Male
Age: 15
Activity: Swimming
Injury: Major Lacerations (Torso/Arms/Legs)
Species: Mako Shark
ISRAEL 🇮🇱
April 21, 2025
Hadera, Haifa District
Victim: Barak Tzach
Age: 45
Activity: Snorkeling/Filming Sharks
Injury: Consumed
Species: Several Dusky Sharks
Country Numbers/Predation Percentages
Mediterranean Total: 72
Consumption: 46
Unknown: 9
Ratio: 63%
Greece: 17
Consumption: 11
Ratio: 64%
Croatia: 15
Consumption: 7
Ratio: 45%
Italy: 12
Consumption: 9
Ratio: 75%
Spain: 7
Consumption: 5
Ratio: 71%
Egypt: 4
Consumption: 2
Ratio: 50%
Turkey: 3
Consumption: 2
Ratio: 66%
Libya: 3
Consumption: 2
Ratio: 66%
Lebanon: 2
Consumption: 2
Ratio: 100%
Malta: 2
Consumption: 2
Ratio: 100%
Algeria: 2
Consumption: 1
Ratio: 50%
Montenegro: 1
Consumption: 1
Ratio: 100%
Slovenia: 1
Consumption: 1
Ratio: 100%
Israel: 1
Consumption: 1
Ratio: 100%
Tunisia: 1
Ratio: 0%
Cyprus: 1
Ratio: 0%
Species Involved
White Shark: 57
Consumption: 41
Ratio: 72%
Unknown: 10
Consumption: 2
Ratio: 20%
Mako Shark: 2
Blue Shark: 2
Dusky Shark: 1
Consumption: 1
Ratio: 100%
Activity Statistics
Swimming: 47
Sponge Diving: 9
Boating/Falling Overboard: 4
Boat Capsize: 4
Shipwreck: 3
Spearfishing: 3
Plane Crash: 1
Snorkeling: 1
Attacks By Century/Decade
Pre 18th Century (Ancient)
Total: 5
18th Century
1720s: 1
1730s: 1
1760s: 1
Total: 3
19th Century
1810s: 1
1820s: 1
1840s: 2
1860s: 6
1870s: 2
1890s: 6
Total: 18
20th Century
Unknown: 1
1900s: 11
1910s: 2
1920s: 2
1930s: 4
1940s: 3
1950s: 11
1960s: 6
1970s: 3
1980s: 1
Total: 44
21st Century
2010s: 1
2020s: 1
Total: 2
Numbers By Oceanic Region
Adriatic Sea: 19
Aegean Sea: 10
Levantine Sea: 9
Tyrrhenian Sea: 7
Ionian Sea: 7
Central Mediterranean: 6
Libyan Sea: 3
Ligurian Sea: 2
Balearic Sea: 2
Alboran Sea: 2
Gibraltar Strait: 2
Marmara Sea: 2
Atlantic Ocean: 1
An estimated 10k ex-BG commenters are believed to be out there in the internet, but only about 170 have been tagged by the new commenting system.
dropped a turd on Inertia and got no response. should I drop one HERE or HERE or HERE?
I’m not sure how any animal can be ” ROGUE” in it’s natural environment.
I now have two big, black boxes showing at the top of the articles. One to claim my comments from Disqus, the other to combine the new login I created a week ago with the one I’m currently commenting from. Are you guys doing that? Is there any benefit to doing it?
If you want to comment via disqus then click and sign etc..
If not go with what you got.
Ok, simple as that then. TY
The southern part of the journey was punctuated by incidents and accidents.
Linked up and chilled at Bolsa Chica for the afternoon under a blazing SoCal sky.
All you wankers crying about Cali have just never travelled it for real….
Punch out at Malibu?
It all starts on the sand…
Hello! It’s the Droogies~
G Wagon down. Everyone with a fancy car thinks they can drive fast on PCH without worry.
My bad old Chevy van😅
https://www.edhat.com/news/firefighters-rescue-dog-trapped-in-vehicle-after-highway-1-crash-near-malibu/
Ok. I’m in. This looks fucked. I guess I’ll get used to it.
one FUVKING point. Fuck
White pointers are fucken all over the place in west oz.
Can’t say I love the new format. Have to imagine the fat has been trimmed here. I just can’t seem to quit you beachgrit
Get fucked
Ponga BEAST!!!
Fucking hell mate are Newie gunna do this? Surf Ads is actually there and I’m looking out for him
Oh yeah I forgot he said he was going. He’d better have his beachgrit t on if they win and pan to him having a standing wank.
You don’t wanna be ” on the travelator” with these units !! Gooooooo newie goooooooo
Sweet Cheeks needs to watch some of this cuz this is how proper Strayans play sport. Caaaaaarn Newie yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew
Hello Strayan Cunt. This is Kabir with wdisqus aka disqus with aids customer support. I am sorry to inform you that you have hit your alloted comments for the week. Any additional comments you will be charged a fee. Thank you for your time and look forward to seeing you next week!
He’s single handedly keeping the lights on.
got a power generator for this heat wave. plugged it in and nothing happened. lights out~
I tried mate, I really did
Thank fuck for that Mr Bond, Mr James Bond
Let’s fucken gooooooo
Oh wait. Welcome to country…cha ching!!
Oh wait…white cunts anthem….
Let’s goooooooo
You’ll watching the Rugby? I’ve found it online. They look so cute in their short shorts with their pert bottoms.
I think I’ll root for the Cocks.
One a the best games on the planet. And that’s from a Victorian !!
I finally got some clean waves yesterday. You can see two surfers sitting on the main peak to the right of the coconut tree on the left of the photo, if the photo is not too compressed by the website. The outside of the reef only breaks on large, hurricane swells, and in certain conditions. Very rare. The regular wave is a small left on the inside of the reef that breaks into a small channel.
21 miles in Malibu. A short PBS doco about rich kids and dumb people killing everyone else on the PCH with their speeding. A 16 year old just killed a chef with his brand new, full size, Range Rover yesterday.
https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/21-miles-in-malibu/episodes/21-miles-in-malibu
You going Newie or the Rooters tonight Dezza? Caaaaaarn the Knights yeeeeeeeeeeeew
Newy!