There are no simple government solutions when sharks bite people. These rare and sometimes fatal incidents are fraught with uncertainties and command a disproportionate amount of psychological space in the minds of the public, as well as... more
There are no simple government solutions when sharks bite people. These rare and sometimes fatal incidents are fraught with uncertainties and command a disproportionate amount of psychological space in the minds of the public, as well as a large degree of policy space and funding from many governments. Responses to mitigate shark bite incidents involve public policies that contend with the needs of public safety as well as the responsibility to protect endangered predators. Little study to date has been done examining the politics of shark attacks, yet these events are among the most geographically dispersed human–wildlife conflicts in the world. I examine the underlying concerns that drive this policy process by asking how problem definition framing by policy entrepreneurs affects government responses following shark bite incidents.Through a case study of shark bite incidents in Sydney, Australia in 1929, 1934, and 2009, I identify three competing problem definitions: behavioral, psychological, and conservation. The psychological definition, building confidence in the minds of the public,is shown to be the most successful. Building on previous research, I argue that policy entrepreneurship is a central feature in the strength of problem definitions. I conclude by suggesting lessons for the balanced coastal management of human–marine life conflicts including the selection of trusted spokespeople, prioritizing measures to relieve short-term public anxiety, reframing beach ecosystems.
This short paper focuses on graffiti depicting desperate warnings over the increase in shark attacks, the threat of which has been encouraged by the idyllic feeding climate on the Indian Ocean island, and suggests a metaphorical simile of... more
This short paper focuses on graffiti depicting desperate warnings over the increase in shark attacks, the threat of which has been encouraged by the idyllic feeding climate on the Indian Ocean island, and suggests a metaphorical simile of the threatening invisible and ever present malevolent force felt in the social climate of expanding inner cities through greed within capital investment.
Modern shark attacks are uncommon and archaeological examples are even rarer, with the oldest previously known case dating to ca. AD 1000. Here we report a shark attack on an adult male radiocarbon dated to 1370–1010 cal BC during the... more
Modern shark attacks are uncommon and archaeological examples are even rarer, with the oldest previously known case dating to ca. AD 1000. Here we report a shark attack on an adult male radiocarbon dated to 1370–1010 cal BC during the fisher-hunter-gatherer Jo ̄mon period of the Japanese archipelago. The individual was buried at the Tsukumo site near Japan’s Seto Inland Sea, where modern shark attacks have been reported. The victim has at least 790 perimortem traumatic lesions characteristic of a shark attack, including deep, incised bone gouges, punctures, cuts with overlapping striations and perimortem blunt force fractures. Lesions were mapped onto a 3D model of the human skeleton using a Geographical Information System to assist visualisation and analysis of the injuries. The distribution of wounds suggests the victim was probably alive at the time of attack rather than scavenged. The most likely species of shark responsible for the attack is either a white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) or a tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier). Shortly after the attack most, though not all, of his body was recovered and buried in the Tsukumo cemetery.
