Envoy: Shark Cull

For many of us (most of us?), hearing the word ‘shark’ raises alarm bells. We all know about shark attacks. We know the grim realities of swimmers and surfers, aggression and mauling. In fact, the opening minutes of this documentary offer an extensive collage of television comperes and hosts offering the grim news of what sharks have done (or wreaked).

However, this is a documentary in favour of sharks. It favours a more sympathetic understanding, seeing incidents where people have been mauled and/or injured as far less frequent than the media might indicate, that we need to give some kind of re-consideration to the role of sharks in our ocean ecology, of protecting swimmers and surfers without detriment to the shark population.

And, so, the challenge of the title. The envoys? We, humans, are to be the envoys to government and public opinion about the reality of the oceans’ shark population, the variety of sharks, their survival in the oceans, their interactions with humans. And, as narrated by the genial Eric Bana, this is persuasive.

The filmmakers have gathered about 10 experts in various fields to make their commentaries throughout the film. They are particularly fluent, particularly articulate, personally convinced, credible and persuasive. They include scientists, surfers, students, and an interview with a former Navy man who lost his leg and hand to a shark attack and who has had time to reflect and study the presence of sharks in our waters.

Throughout the film, of course, there are many sequences highlighting the sharks, moving through the waters, close-ups, expert underwater photography.

The film offers a challenge to the Federal and Australian state governments, critical of Queensland and New South Wales and their policies of culling and the particular means of protecting the beaches, devices introduced in 1937, details of the mesh and barriers, details of the anchor drops which trap the sharks. The point being made is that science and technology are continually finding more ‘humane’ ways of warding off the sharks, without savagery, without destruction, without euthanising the sharks.

The film ends with commendation of moves in Western Australia and recommendations for further dialogue with government authorities and agencies. In fact, the morning after this reviewer watched the film, The Age (Melbourne) had a report that in discussions one step advocated by scientists was to change the terminology of referring to encounters with sharks as ‘shark bites’ rather than to ‘shark attacks’.

Interesting that Jaws is never mentioned, nor its theme played.