Probe Into Killing Of Tiger Sharks
By Wendy Heller, February 17, 2008 @ 02:00 AM (EST)
Source: Capetimes.co.za
Three big tiger sharks from the school well known to the diving community at
Aliwal Shoal on the South Coast are suspected to have been illegally captured
and killed for meat.
Tourists and diving charter owners watched with horror on Friday afternoon at Rocky Bay as a ski boat brought the headless sharks to shore before packing them into a truck and driving off with their tails hanging over the back of the vehicle.
Local diver Brent Addison was at Rocky Bay with two Danish nationals who are on holiday in South Africa when they saw the boat and vehicle.
"It was too late to record (on camera) what we saw because the vehicle had already passed by," he said.
The fishermen are suspected to have caught the sharks in the Aliwal Shoal Marine Protected area, which is illegal.
KZN Wildlife official Paul Buchel said he had received about seven calls of concern over the shark killings.
He said five shark species were afforded protection in the marine protected area and the tiger shark was one of them.
"According to the gazette you may not catch or return to the beach with tiger sharks on board, dead or alive.
"It is illegal," Buchel said.
Tourists and diving charter owners watched with horror on Friday afternoon at Rocky Bay as a ski boat brought the headless sharks to shore before packing them into a truck and driving off with their tails hanging over the back of the vehicle.
Local diver Brent Addison was at Rocky Bay with two Danish nationals who are on holiday in South Africa when they saw the boat and vehicle.
"It was too late to record (on camera) what we saw because the vehicle had already passed by," he said.
The fishermen are suspected to have caught the sharks in the Aliwal Shoal Marine Protected area, which is illegal.
KZN Wildlife official Paul Buchel said he had received about seven calls of concern over the shark killings.
He said five shark species were afforded protection in the marine protected area and the tiger shark was one of them.
"According to the gazette you may not catch or return to the beach with tiger sharks on board, dead or alive.
"It is illegal," Buchel said.
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