Plan B Forum

Surfer Benjamin Linden, 24, was bitten in half in a savage attack on Saturday, the fifth such fatality in the region in less than a year.

He was surfing near Wedge Island, north of Perth, with a friend when he was mauled by the huge shark, said to be up to 16 feet long.

A man jet-skiing near him said it was a gruesome scene, with "half a torso" all that remained of Linden.



Surfers said they had noticed a large shark in the vicinity in the previous few days and nicknamed it "Brutus" due to its large size.

Local marine scientists have described Australia's west coast as the deadliest shark attack zone in the world and Western Australia Fisheries Minister Norman Moore expressed concern at the trend of fatalities.

"We have allocated some Aus$14 million (£9 million) extra to get a better understanding of the great white sharks and the reasons why the fatalities are occurring," he told reporters.

"I wonder if research might tell us that there are now much greater number of great whites than ever before, and maybe we should look at whether they should remain a protected species.

"This is a very distressing event and to add to the previous four fatalities, it is of great concern to me and to the fisheries department, indeed the government as a whole."

A tagging and tracking programme was introduced last year and has shown the animals, which have no predators other than humans, whales and other sharks, can linger off Australia's west coast for months at a time.

Moore said he was open to "any suggestions from anybody as to where we go to now, because we seriously have got a problem".

After the last fatal attack in March, state premier Colin Barnett ruled out a culling programme, saying it was impossible to protect all people at all times.

"While it's still a rare occurrence, the ocean is the domain of the shark and we go there with a risk always," he said at the time.

Sharks are a common feature of Australian waters but fatal attacks are rare.

Experts say the average number of attacks in Australia – about 15 a year, with at least one being fatal – have increased in line with population growth and the popularity of water sports.

Linden's girlfriend Alana Noakes posted a tribute to him on Facebook.

"I'm devastated to let everyone know that my beautiful man ... was the surfer who was taken by the shark at Wedge," she said.

"He was the love of my life, my best friend, my rock and my soulmate.

"Let's remember that he was doing something that meant the world to him. Surfing was his soul, his life, his culture and his passion."

Western Australian waters are home to more than 100 species of shark, according to the state fisheries department, ranging in size from the pygmy shark at just 30 centimetres, to the whale shark that grows up to 12 metres.

"We have allocated some Aus$14 million (£9 million) extra to get a better understanding of the great white sharks and the reasons why the fatalities are occurring," he told reporters.

Why Sharks Attack

Ninety percent or more of shark incidents are mistakes. They assume that we're something that we are not.- Gary Adkison, diver ("Sharkbite! Surviving the Great White")

Although shark attacks can seem vicious and brutal, it's important to remember that sharks aren't evil creatures constantly on the lookout for humans to attack. They are animals obeying their instincts, like all other animals. As predators at the top of the ocean food chain, sharks are designed to hunt and eat large amounts of meat. A shark's diet consists of other sea creatures -- mainly fish, sea turtles, whales and sea lions and seals. Humans are not on the menu. In fact, humans don't provide enough high-fat meat for sharks, which need a lot of energy to power their large, muscular bodies.

If sharks aren't interested in eating humans, why do they attack us? The first clue comes in the pattern that most shark attacks take. In the majority of recorded attacks, the shark bites the victim, hangs on for a few seconds (possibly dragging the victim through the water or under the surface), and then lets go. It is very rare for a shark to make repeated attacks and actually feed on a human victim. The shark is simply mistaking a human for something it usually eats. Once the shark gets a taste, it realizes that this isn't its usual food, and it lets go.

The shark's confusion is easier to understand once we start to look at things from the shark's point of view. Many attack victims are surfers or people riding boogie boards. A shark swimming below sees a roughly oval shape with arms and legs dangling off, paddling along. This bears a close resemblance to a sea lion (the main prey of great white sharks) or a sea turtle (a common food for tiger sharks).

Beer Sponge wrote:Why not sue lawyers? They're all a bunch of sharks anyway...