On April 12, in Reunion Island, a 13-year-old teenager, Elio Canestri, was the victim of a shark attack. This is already the 2nd e fatal attack in 2015 âeuros a young 20 year old swimmer had been attacked by a tiger shark last February. Faced with the death of this member of the PÃ'le espoirs de surf de la Réunion, Jean-Luc Arassus, the president of the French Surfing Federation went to the spot. Today, the federation asks for the resumption of the artisanal fishing of tiger and bulldog sharks, which threaten the bathers, the surfers, but also the economy of the island. This species is neither protected nor threatened and causes great damage.
In Réunion, in 2015, 50% of fatal shark attacks took place on 30 km of beaches, on the west coast, which was spared until 2011. Since that same year, the island has already recorded 16 shark attacks, 7 of which were fatal (5 surfers and 2 swimmers). Five of these attacks were caused by the bull shark and two by the tiger shark, species that are not threatened and not protected. Yet these attacks have a real detrimental effect on the practice of surfing in La Réunion, where the number of licensees has fallen from 1600 in 2011 to 400 in 2015. Before the series of attacks, which started in February 2011, La Réunion had 17 surf schools, but there is only one today that gives stand-up paddle lessons, in the lagoon of L'Hermitage. Apart from surfing, it is the economic activity of the island that is threatened by the "shark crisis": tourism, catering, hotels, water activities, diving� In 2012, the island recorded a drop of 25,000 tourists, a figure that continued to fall in 2013 with 5,000 fewer tourists than the previous year. Figures for 2014 have not yet been released, but estimates are for 10 to 18% less than in 2013.
Reunion's waters infested with sharks
On May 13, 2013, a study by scientists in Reunion Island revealed that there are "an imbalance, abnormal shark density, aggressiveness, infested west coast, large specimens." This study already reported a "imbalance in the marine ecosystem off the West Coast." For several years, the number of bulldog sharks has increased, but the sale of this shark as well as the tiger shark is forbidden, because their flesh contains a toxin. Despite the ban, the local population continues to consume them, without any noticeable poisoning.
The Institute of Research for Development (IRD) continues to work on a research program dedicated to sharks and means of securing swimming areas are being developed. Currently, Reunion Island is the only island in the world where swimming and surfing are prohibited due to " the abnormally high presence of particularly aggressive sharks ." The French Surfing Federation understands this ban and asks surfers and citizens to respect it, but to reduce the time to set up the security systems: barricades, peachâeuros¦
Resume artisanal fishing to counter the invasion of harmful sharks
The French Surfing Federation wishes today a return to normalcy in Reunion Island and continues to fight to preserve the Pôle Espoir Surf de La Réunion. The island represents moreover 50% of the staff of the French surfing teams. The solution proposed by the FFS is regular and targeted fishing to reclaim the territory, which has been abandoned to sharks for the last 15 years. Having received threats and criticisms, the FFS wanted to remind "stand in solidarity with the protection of all endangered species and that it defends the marine world and its natural sites." The surfers of Reunion Island are also committed to the protection of the reef shark " whose environmental role is real, compared to bulldog sharks and tigers."
The Federation also reminds us that we should not confuse the desire to resume artisanal fishing in Reunion with industrial fishing, which kills 20,000 tons of sharks in France every year. " She will never condone the slaughter of sharks." The recovery of artisanal fishing in Reunion Island would represent 1/1,000,000 of artisanal fishing in the world. "On the pretext of saving certain species of sharks, which are not protected, Reunion Island cannot become a sanctuary for bulldog sharks, which have ruined the original ecosystem. The lives of its inhabitants and children are at stake
For your information, on March 5th, a great white shark of 3.50 m was caught and killed, because it threatened the safety of surfers, present on the Gold Coast, in Australia, site of the Quicksilver Pro and the Roxy Pro.
The demands of the French Surfing Federation
After his return from La Réunion, the president of the FFS met with representatives of the state on Monday, April 20. Here are the requests made by the FFF:
- A fishing effort targeted by the experts;
- The resumption of the shark watch system as soon as possible;
- The installation of physical barriers on the beaches as soon as possible
- To deploy the installation of nets that are to be installed by September on the beaches of the commune of Saint-Paul. These nets, called "new generation", 700 meters long, installed from the bottom to the surface of the water, and which unlike the Australian gillnets, have no catch, do not capture all kinds of fish.
- The net proposed by Mr. Patrick Florès, elected representative of the City of St Paul, will be flown in from Brittany to be assembled in Reunion Island and save two months of delay.
