First Day of Shark Hunt in Reunion Island

Helmut Nickel, Shark Year Magazine,
28. September 2011

The first day of the shark hunt in Reunion has not been convincing. The fishermen were not able to land even one shark, but there are still two days of fishing to come.

Two sportfishing charter boats have been authorised by the local government to kill ten bull and tiger sharks (more info). I assume they try to catch the sharks only with sportfishing gear ( = rod and reel ).

The vessel ‘Are Nui’, skippered by Marc Lagadec, hooked two sharks at about 3 pm and 4 pm near the spot where Mathieu Schiller was fatally attacked last week. But the fishing line broke and the sharks got away.

The prefect Michel Lalande has invited members of the local press to witness the fishing operation (see video below).

Both boats, the Magnum and the Are Nui, will continue to make round trips between the port of Saint-Gilles and Cape La Houssaye.

In the meanwhile, the red flags are hoisted at the beaches in Saint-Gilles. Swimming and boating is not allowed until Friday.

Source: La 1ere – Reunion. Video Credit: zinfos974

1 Comment

  1. waste of time, not cost effective, no change in public perception… the only benefit would be sharks under 1.5 metres being tagged… then I pray my arse off, they will be tracked & like the 16 Bull Sharks in Sydney Harbour on the busiest day of the year in, January 26, Australia day celebrations, when thousands of people swam all day, where these Bulls ventured in & out all day with not a single incident… I prey that happens in Reunion & I can’t wait til the logic of overfishing & warming combined with increased human use of the Ocean is scientifically proven as the answer to the minor increase of encounters this year.
    Stop the hunt & educate your public.

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