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World No. 6 Michel Bourez Joins Call For Shark Cull

The Spartan joins Flores and Slater following the latest fatal attack

Tahiti’s Michel Bourez has joined Kelly Slater and Jeremy Flores in calling for a shark cull in Reunion Island following Tuesday’s fatal attack.

Slater – known for his strong environmental stance – joined the debate yesterday on the other side of the argument via Jeremy Flores’ Instagram

Commenting via his Facebook page, The Spartan spoke in defence of Kelly who went public via Instagram yesterday on a subject that polarises opinion of ocean enthusiasts.

Judging from the comments left on various news and social sites, it seems as though the pro surf consensus calling for control of the shark population is at odds with the stance of many surf fans and the general public who cite the ‘it’s their domain’ argument against killing fish in order to save human lives.

Michel said:

“What would you do if going into the sea just 2 metres from shore put your life in danger?…. Nobody wants to kill sharks, they are in their element. But right now, the situation is getting out of control. Bull shark populations are out of their natural balance and still rising. Bull sharks don’t attack to ‘taste’ like the Great White or the Tiger… they attack to kill whether the prey is edible or not… Don’t be too quick too judge what Kelly Slater and Jeremy Flores have said.”

Yesterday’s fatal attack was the 6th in as many years, and the 20th recorded shark attack in Reunion Island since 2011.

While measures are in place to protect ocean go-ers at certain spots following an outright ban on surfing, there are growing calls from the surf community for a shark cull to bring the bull (Zambezi) shark numbers back down to levels pre the establishment of a marine reserve near the famous break of St Leu.