Your right in saying there is no proof that it wasnt the same shark. And it may well have been. My problem with your comments however is that whilst you point out that education, shark nets and patrols and hence avoidence is a good way, you advocate the killing of sharks based on possible or probable attacks. For too long have humans dicated which species can live where and for what purpose. Because it is an possible incovenience to you because you may have to go surfing in another area one day because a shark is in your usual spot, does not mean that you should be able to decide whether a shark should be killed or not. If you went to the plains of Africa, into a known lion area, and were told of this, and were told not to get out of the car because they may attack, would you? Of course not. You would use your brain and stay well clear of a known danger. There was an attack yesterday in Adelaide where a boy of 18 was taken and killed. Whilst this is tragic there have been several sightings of a shark over the last two weeks in the area. Yet this is not enough to deter anyone from entering the water, and now that this has happened people act surprised. A week ago, another man was bitten and subsequently died from a heart attack in Cairns, he was spear fishing, in an area known to be patrolled by hammerheads, reefies, and various other bigger sharks. Yet he still went fishing, knowing full well the risk. As a surfer, Im suprised that you would think that killing sharks because they may or may not have attacked is fine, and quite frankly very disappointed. Would you go swimming up north where there are signs everywhere of crocidles, where it clearly states that you shouldnt swim? And then if you did, if one of your friends was attacked in said swimming area, would you then expect the croc to be killed?

Stephen I agree with your sentiments entirely. The pro-shark lobby seem content with designating the sea as a marine exclusive zone which is not realistic for a beach-going culture like that of Australia. The suburban death of Ken Crewe shocked me enormously and the seemingly advancing list of shark casualities has severely impacted on the Australian psyche. A shark is not a mammal and as a deadly giant fish should be culled as necessary to protect human lives. Any predatory large shark lurking off popular swimming beaches should either be killed or tagged so its exact location can be monitered.

Shark lovers who are so keen to save these beasts at the risk of human lives, should contemplate the horror of being eaten alive. One wonders how many of these giant killer shark lovers, actually swim regularly in the open sea? Lions and tigers are not roaming our shopping malls so the comparison is odious. You are not advocating widespread distruction of sharks but practical protection methods to ensure our limited leisure time is not overshadowed by fears of being torn apart.

Seems fair enough.

Yet another sad sadistic approach to the ever mounting idiotic view that another animal must be killed “for the good of human kind.” of what value is the loss of an animal’s life when nothing is gained because of it. This view is why humanity is going down hill and it sickens me to think that this narrow mindedness still exists in modern society.

The irony of the shark debate is that we protect these ferocious killing machines while eating most other species into extinction. I've read that human activity has reduced the world's marine biomass by 70 per cent in a mere 20 years. Whether it's true I'm not sure, but you only need to speak to any old fisherman to find out that stocks are in an alarmingly constant decline. So it's OK to stroll into a fish shop or fancy restaurant and order the flesh of a small fish (which may well have died a miserable death with a hook through its mouth), but contemplate the killing of a beast that has spent millions of years honing its violent predatory skills and suddenly you are typical of everything that is wrong with humanity. Where are the protesters outside seafood restaurants? Why aren't we vilifying the people whose eating habits pay for the trawlers that drag everything off the ocean floor, leaving them virtual deserts?
As for the argument that we enter the shark's habitat whenever we enter the ocean: rubbish. Would you kill a redback or a funnelweb if you found it had made a home in your backyard, where your kids play? Or would you say, oh, this is the Australian bush, we don't belong here? The ocean is this planet's most amazing playground. To say that we shouldn't enjoy it belies a self-loathing that Sigmund Freud himself would have trouble understanding.
What would happen if we killed all the great whites? One thing is, the oceans would be safer. Another is that the people who love seafood would have another item on the menu. Would it wreak havoc on the marine environment? Perhaps a marine biologist could offer some info here. But don't forget - our planet's environment is based on a system of extinctions. Who knows how many species have disappeared in the past? Who knows how many new, wonderful species have evolved becasue the extinction of old ones have made the new possible?