Seychelles Shark Attack

On Tuesday 16th August, Ian Redmond, 30, from Lancashire, was fatally wounded by a shark as he snorkeled near the shore of Anse Lazio beach on the island of Praslin in the Seychelles. Mr Redmond was on honeymoon with his wife, Gemma Redmond, 27, whom he had married 10 days before. She was sunbathing on the beach when she heard his screams for help. Mr Redmond was pulled onto a small boat and brought onshore, conscious, but died at the scene from his injuries and blood loss, despite attempts to save him. The incident has been heavily reported worldwide and our condolences go out to his family and friends.

Mr Redmond was not the first tourist in the area to have been killed by shark attack recently. In the same month, 36-year-old French diver Nicolas Virolle was also fatally injured by a shark. Mrs Redmond has told the media that they had not considered that the waters were unsafe and that she had been told there were no sharks in the area. This has been disputed by authorities in the Seychelles, who say that, whilst there were no warning signs up on the beach, they had police patrolling the beach and warning tourists of the previous attack. However, they have also added that, in hindsight, they could have done more to warn people of the possible dangers of swimming in the area and could have closed the beach. It is possible that Mr Redmond's death could have been avoided if there were more obvious warnings present or the beach had in fact been closed to swimming following the death of Mr Virolle just over two weeks before.

Several species of sharks are known to inhabit the waters around the Seychelles but attacks are not common. The species of shark which killed Mr Redmond is currently unknown, but is believed to have been a Bull shark or Tiger shark. According to local media reports, the last fatal attack in the Seychelles before these latest two incidents occurred in 1963. Reports have suggested that increased pollution in the waters around the islands is attracting more sharks to the area. A large number of yachts are believed to empty their waste and sewage into the sea and sharks, which are opportunistic feeders, have moved in to take advantage of this food source. Shark expert Jeremy Cliff has warned the local authorities to close beaches as they have, "a serious problem". He believes that changes to the sharks’ environment, possibly caused by fishing methods (e.g. by fishermen discarding part of their catch in shallow water), are bringing sharks closer to the shore. He also said there could be issues with the sea bed or reef, and that changing conditions could also attract sharks.

Fatal shark attacks are uncommon worldwide, with an average of just 4.3 people being killed by shark attack each year between 2001 and 2010. The Seychelles authorities have enlisted the help of the Navy and Coastguard, as well as shark experts from South Africa, to help them catch the shark, or sharks, responsible for the latest two attacks. Seychelles fishermen have also joined in the hunt, with local businesses offering a £3,000 reward for it's capture. However, several groups, including The Global Shark Conservation Initiative and Support Our Sharks, are calling for an end to the hunt as they believe that many 'innocent' sharks may be killed in the hunt for a shark that may not be found, with several species of shark already threatened with extinction due to overfishing. Marine biologists says there are now only 10% of the sharks that were in the oceans 15-20 years ago and this is likely to have a devastating impact on the marine ecosystem.

It is clear that the reasons behind these attacks need to be investigated and improvements made within the local area to keep people safe from possible future attacks. If sharks are being encouraged into the area by discharge from boats and fishing discards, then these practices will have to be changed and new rules and legislation set in place by the authorities. We do not believe that a shark hunt aimed at capturing the "killer shark" in reaction to the recent deaths would be at all beneficial, particularly when the species of shark responsible for the deaths has not yet been determined. Sharks are important apex predators and maintain balance within the marine environment, and they are already being fished to extinction. Whilst the recent deaths have been extremely tragic, many 'innocent' sharks may be killed during the hunt in the hope that the shark responsible for the deaths is caught. Whilst the shark attacks may have a temporary affect on tourism in the area, particularly given the sensationalist reporting we have seen on the incident, the sudden removal of a large number of sharks would undoubtedly have a negative impact on the marine ecosystem in the Seychelles and this itself would impact tourism in a much larger way over a more sustained period. Whilst the authorities must be seen to be doing something, we would not encourage anyone to fish any of these already threatened species and would instead urge the authorities to look at what they can do to discourage large sharks from feeding in the local area.

If you would like to oppose the shark hunt in the Seychelles, you can sign the online petition, or alternatively use The Global Shark Conservation Initiative's 'standard letter' to write to the tourism authorities in the Seychelles.