Canasia Sports

There is no arguement that Jim was planning on a feed. But at the time of the incident, he was behaving exactly like a spearfisherman, and this behavior had zero in common with chumsickle _style_ feed dives. Displaying food in front of wild animals does not qualify for zero in common .  If anything, you've provided anecdotal confirmation of the spearfishermens' claims. How many spearfishermen would have shot that same amberjack under these same conditions, under the belief that they would been able to keep that fish for themselves? Earlier this month, a black bear attacked a 5 year old child here in NJ while their father watched.   Immediately previous to the attack, Dad had posed the child for photographs with the bear, instead of retreating, and when the bear got too close (reportedly, 2-10 feet), Dad then tried to scare away or distract (the story changed) the bear by throwing bagels at it. http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/page1/ledger/13c9238.html Fortunately, the kid's okay and Dad did receive a fine for his stupidity.  Unfortunately, rangers are hunting for the bear and will kill it if they find it because of its evidence of human-caused behavior modification. Gators, bears, sharks...no difference. -hh

Personally, the way I have always enjoyed seeing sharks is not on organized shark feeds, but in natural conditions with zero inducement by humans. The site we always used to go to for this was the Hole in the Wall , the swim through cave on a big ledge in Jupiter. The depth

Displaying food in front of wild animals does not qualify for zero in common .  If anything, you've provided anecdotal confirmation of the spearfishermens' claims. Hmmmm, I'm going to have to give this one some thought.  As a spearfisherman, I know that I have increased a shark's attraction to me. I've increased my personal risk by my choice of activity.  I'm not likely to blame a shark feeder for the consequences of my chioce even if his choice makes mine a bit higher risk. I also know that repetitive spearfishing in the same place, whether to feed or not, will concentrate sharks the same way that feeding them will, perhaps even more so since sharks are believed to be attracted to the death struggles of fish.  I consider my sport less of an issue only because we don't dive in the same place several times a day, seven days a week and there aren't that many of us.  If shark feeding were as limited and as random in location as spearfishing, I doubt we'd be having this discussion. The shark feeding issue has been characterized as a battle between spear fishermen and shark feeders, primarily by the fish feeding supporters.  Is is not and never has been a spearfisherman/feeder issue except by coincidence.  There are as many, perhaps more spearfishermen on the pro feeding side as there are against it. From my perspective (anti feeding), it's an issue of people who want to put more money in their pockets at the expense of the sharks and the non participating public. From their perspective, it's a way to make a living that has educational benefits for the sharks and the public. Who's right?  Well I am, of course . . . I think. Lee

Earlier this month, a black bear attacked a 5 year old child here in NJ while their father watched.   Immediately previous to the attack, Dad had posed the child for photographs with the bear, instead of retreating, and when the bear got too close (reportedly, 2-10 feet), Dad then tried to scare away or distract (the story changed) the bear by throwing bagels at it. Stupid dad! He should have thrown chumsickles. m