Sewage blamed for shark attack
2009-01-27 09:50
Port St Johns - A shark attack in which a lifeguard was killed at a Port St Johns beach may have been indirectly caused by untreated sewage in the water, the Daily Dispatch reported on Tuesday.
"It is a well known fact that tiger sharks - and some other species such as bull sharks - are attracted to areas where untreated effluent/sewage is released into the ocean and rivers," environmental consultant Conroy van der Riet told the newspaper.
Sikhanyiso Bangilizwe, 26, died minutes after he was attacked by a tiger shark at Second Beach in Port St Johns on Sunday afternoon.
Van der Riet said he thought the rise in shark attacks in Port St Johns "may be because of the content of the untreated effluent/sewage, the presence of prey species also attracted by the effluent/sewage, or a combination of both".
Sharks had a wide diet and would eat "almost anything", said van der Riet.
Chemicals found in the guts of many species, including humans, attracted sharks.
"There are also many documented stories of tiger sharks appearing when ships throw their effluent overboard," he said.
Transkei waters
Van der Riet said water around East London was safer than that in the Transkei region, where the Port St Johns beach is located.
"The effluent here (East London) is relatively well treated before being released, thus I don't think it would pose such a significant threat as in the Transkei area, where there is a lot of soak-away systems and a lack of water-borne sewage treatment facilities," he said.
East London coastal and environmental services director Dr Alan Carter also told the newspaper that the presence of sewage in water could attract sharks.
"Sewage attracts bait fish, which in turn attract sharks. It is worth noting that one of the recommendations from the international shark attack file on how to decrease the already small chance of becoming a victim of a shark attack, is 'Don?t go into waters containing sewage'," said Carter.
However Port St Johns municipal manager Zola Hewu denied that sewage was spilling into the ocean.
"I am not sure what brought the shark to this area but it is definitely not the quality of the water... If that was the case then there would have been more (attacks)," he told the Daily Dispatch.
- SAPA