http://www.newsmax.com/showinsidecover.shtml?a=2001/8/19/203119 Sunday, Aug. 19, 2001 9:30 p.m. EDT Why the Shark Attacks? This summer seems to have hit a high mark for shark attacks, particularly off the east and west coasts of Florida. Could it be a sign, like earthquakes and wars, of the Second Coming? Perhaps there is a simpler explanation. This past Saturday, three men surfing off Daytona Beach were attacked by sharks. "We saw sharks all morning long," a competition offical told the AP. "There were bull sharks 7 to 8 feet long and 6-foot blacktips." The beach was eventually closed, as have been many Florida beaches during the past several months. "Central Florida, especially the east coast of Florida, leads the world every year in shark bites, and the greater Daytona area is no exception," Volusia County Beach Patrol official Joe Wooden said. We know that last month two Americans were struck by sharks while in waters off the Bahamas. One lost his leg. And, of course, 8-year-old Jessie Arbogast had his arm severed by a bull shark last month in Pensacola. For years, we have been told that the movie "Jaws" was fiction. Sharks, for the most part, fear humans and have little interest in attacking anyone - so the thinking went. What has changed? One reasonable explanation is the recent activities of scuba activists, who have not been content to simply go for a dive and look at the coral. Now sea adventure firms in Florida and the Caribbean have been peddling trips for divers to watch shark feeding frenzies. The expeditions use large amounts of live bait to attract large numbers of sharks - for the amusement of the divers. Some Floridians believe the feeding trips have brought sharks closer to shore and closer to humans - making them lose their natural fear of humans. -- I haven't seen this discussed on CNN or the major news networks yet, but I expect to see this idea hit them soon, as this seems just plausable (sp?) enough to the uninformed to have them accept it. Also, http://www.cnn.com/POLL/results/1633231.content.html "In light of the recent shark attacks are you: Less likely to go in the ocean? [53%] More likely to visit ocean resorts? [5%] Not concerned about the attacks? [42%]" -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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