Sat, 27 July 2013

Surf trip to Reunion? Don’t. Surfing is banned on the island until 1 October, and they’re going to cull 90 sharks after another death caused panic among the authorities. Desperate times, desperate measures. Craig Jarvis reports.

On Monday 15 July, less than two weeks ago, a 15-year-old girl was killed, brutally sliced in half by a shark according to some press, five metres from the shore in Saint Paul Bay, Reunion Island. Her sister was watching.

Close to three months ago, a 36-year-old surfer was killed whilst surfing at St Gilles. Alexandra Rassica was killed whilst surfing at Trois Bassins this time last year, on July 23, 2012. He was 22.

Mathieu Schiller was killed surfing at Boucan Canot on September 19, 2011. He was 32. Eddie Auber was killed at Boucan Canot on July 11, 2011. He was 31 at the time.

Last year, Fabien Bujon lost his foot and his hand to a bull shark surfing at the fabled St Leu, home to the Rip Curl Pro Search 2005, won by Mick Fanning.

According to a recent article in Stabmag.com: “The number of regular surfers and bodyboarders on Reunion has dropped from over 5000 to around 60. There used to be 13 surf schools on the island. Now there are three. One surf shop that’d sell bodyboards in the hundreds in a season has sold three in a year.”

The argument rests with the decision of the government declaring a 19km stretch of coast on the west coast as a marine reserve, from whence the shark attacks seem, on paper, to radiate from.

The argument over shark culling has been raging on, with those people keen on recalibrating the population to normal levels equally opposed by those people who believe that the sharks have every right to be there, and we are in their territory and therefore it’s our fault for interloping. The argument is moot, as the shark population in Reunion actually appears to be growing due to man’s intervention, and the natural cycle of things has been altered the other way.

Or so the local government thinks.

Last night they banned surfing and sports activities in the sea (outside of the lagoons), and activated a shark cull.

According to Zinfos974, a Reunion news website, there will be a cull of 45 tiger sharks and 45 bull sharks, called a ‘rational management of stocks’ by the government spokesperson. Drum lines will be put in place at Saint Paul.

Surfers not adhering to the ban, in place until October 1, could incur a 38 Euro fine. Surfing: no. Shark hunting: yes.

Long-time Reunion resident and former Cape Town professional and big wave surfer Davey Stolk is living in the midst of this, and gave his view to a few quick questions.

WS: So the authorities have announced that surfing and water activities have been 'limited' in Reunion. Does this mean that you can’t go surfing?

DS: Yup. Water sports activities have been banned outside the lagoons until the 1st of October. What a chicken headed response to the shark crisis. No, it won’t stop me from going surfing and already there were quite a few out at St Leu today. Either way, it’s obviously not good for tourism or for the local economies in the towns concerned - St Gilles, Boucan, St Leu and Etang Salé.

What is the current vibe of surfing and surfers in Reunion?

Everyone is paranoid. I’ve never seen anything like it. Most kids under 16 are just about banned by their parents to go in the water, while heaps of my friends who have a wife and kids have been banned too. Luckily mine understands.

What is your opinion on the current location of the marine?

To me personally, the reserve is a non-issue. I really don’t see the correlation between the reserve and the increase in shark attacks. But of course, a lot of locals feel otherwise. Throw in the local fisherman who want it back to fish in, and there you have it.

Authorities are now going to cull sharks - 45 tigers and 45 bull sharks. What do you think of this?

My point of view from the beginning has been that we should do everything in our power to protect swimmers and surfers from potential shark attacks using the current methods that are utilised elsewhere, like shark spotters and at a push drumlines. Without having to take out the local shark population until it is empirically proved that there is an overpopulation of sharks, but to me that is far from proven.

Reckon it's ok to kill a few sharks?

No like I said, just a bummer, because the authorities that could so easily have put the shark spotting programme into place so easily and at little expense. I sent them a proposal 2 yrs ago. They could have least tried it. It has been highly frustrating.

A shark cull is a dramatic response to the current situation. Air your views in the comments below.