[daz]

Well I do have mixed feelings on this subject.

On the one hand certain activities such as shark feeding could be considered a benefit.  For instance I believe in the case of the Bahamas they have produced figures that indicate the value of a live shark to the tourism trade far outweighs the value of a dead shark.

Also in the case of baiting great whites off SA to bring them alongside boats and cages (baiting not feeding) did in my experience prove a real eye opener for me and trashed many misconceptions I had of great whites.   In this instance they were very wary and inquisitive, yet much of the footage I had seen up to this point showed great whites going full tilt for the bait (Which they would but only after much circling and investigating).

I do think it is important to promote the positive side and weigh up the positives over the negatives and remove these preconceptions of mindless killing machines but we also need to consider what the impact is on their natural behaviour.  

I had a chat with the crew that took us out from South Africa and it was quite enlightening hearing their views.  What was even more enlightening however was the conversation amongst all the guests on the boat who viewed the whole experience extremely positively and enlightening.

I think overall if we look at how sharks were portrayed 2 decades ago both by the general public and the media, compared to now, there has been a dramatic change and up close encounters, more divers in the water and activities such as shark feeding have played their part.

I guess the question now is "Should these activities continue,  could they still provide additional benefit to the image of sharks"

Daz