Reunion Island BANS Surfing Due to Shark Attacks | 90 Sharks to Be Killed

SwellBrains
Reunion island shark attacked this man and his board
Reunion Island
Reunion Island shark warning sign

โ€œI think itโ€™s stupid. Iโ€™m shocked they banned surfing in the area. ย If we want to surf, we risk 38โ‚ฌ and possible prison time. If I want to surf, I will.โ€ – Damien Ferrere, 16-year old local told surfermag

Reunion Island (a French territory near the east coast of Africa) is one of the best surf destinations on Earth and theyโ€™ve just banned surfing anywhere outside of the islands lagoons (lagoons have no surf). ย The government has instituted this ban in response to a wave of shark attacks that have occurred around the island in the past 6 years.

Right now, surfing is banned at Reunion Island until October 1st, 2013. ย If youโ€™re caught surfing, youโ€™ll be given a $50 fine. ย The government has also decided to kill 90 sharks in the meantime. ย They plan to kill 45 Tiger Sharks & 45 Bull Sharksย (the shark species that most commonly attack people in the Reunion Island). ย Theyโ€™re doing this thinking it will help keep shark attacks down in the future.

ย โ€œThis is an archaic, knee-jerk reaction that seems more borne of vengeance than of scienceโ€ฆ This likely will blow up in their faces because most visitors to Reunion have a more sophisticated conservation ethic than the authorities are apparently giving credit them for.โ€ –ย George Burgess, a ย shark expert with the Florida Museum of Natural History

surfeur-requin
Reunion Island surfer and friend

REUNION ISLAND SHARK ATTACK INFO:

– 2 shark attack fatalities in past 3 months

– 15-year-old girl killed by shark very near shore was most recent fatality

– French surfer on his honeymoon was attacked and killed recently as well

– 38 reported shark attacks between 1913 & 2011

– 6 shark attacks in 2011 alone

Reunion island shark attacked this man and his board
Reunion island shark attacked this man and his board

Reunion Island government statement about surfing ban:

โ€œAn immediate prohibition of swimming, surfing and bodyboarding within the coastal strip of 300 meters from shore in the department of Reunion until October 1st, 2013. These activities are only allowed within the shallow โ€˜lagoonโ€™ and supervised areas as determined by the Prefecture. Beachgoers who do not comply with the restrictions will be subject to a fine of 38 Euros ($50 U.S. dollars).

โ€œA total of 90 sharks should be โ€˜takenโ€™ as part of the scientificย ciguateraย program to assess the marketing objectives of sharks in Reunion Island.

โ€œA new website, dedicated to inform the public about the shark risk in Reunion Island, will be established in October 2013.โ€ Reunion Island government

Reunion Island world class surf
Reunion Island world class surf

 

Many Reunion Island residents want some of their sharks killed off. ย After a fatal shark attack last year, 300 surfers protested outside a police station on Reunion Island asking that the shark population be controlled. ย The Reunion Island government responded to the publicโ€™s outcries andkilled 20 sharks last year in August after there had been 3 fatal shark attacks that year including 2 fatalities in 2 weeks.

Tiger Sharks can be over 16 feet long and are known to attack surfers
Tiger Sharks can be over 16 feet long and are known to attack surfers

This current surfing ban is certainly ridiculous to surfers. ย Surfers are going to surf, regardless of the consequences. ย If theyโ€™ve not been afraid of Tiger shark attacks, we donโ€™t think that the $50 fine is going to deter them much.

Weโ€™ll keep you informed on how this surfing ban plays out.

Bull Sharks live in both saltwater and freshwater and will attack almost anything as they are fiercely territorial
Bull Sharks live in both saltwater and freshwater and will attack almost anything as they are fiercely territorial

REUNION ISLAND INFO:

Rรฉunionย is aย Frenchย island with a population of about 800,000 located in theย Indian Ocean, east ofย Madagascar, about 200 kilometres (120ย mi) southwest ofย Mauritius, the nearest island.

Administratively, Rรฉunion is one of theย overseas departmentsย of France. Like the other overseas departments, Rรฉunion is also one of the 27ย regions of Franceย (being anย overseas region) and an integral part of the Republic with the same status as those situated on theย European mainland.

Rรฉunion is anย outermost regionย of theย European Unionย and, as an overseas department of France, is part of theย Eurozone.[3]ย Wikipedia

Learn More: ย Reunion Island

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