2007年VOA标准英语-Protective Nets Keep Sharks at Bay in Durban, S

By Scott Bobb
Durban
14 June 2007
 

South Africa boasts some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, which attract millions of tourists each year. A series of fatal shark attacks in the Durban area in the 1940s led local authorities to install shark nets to protect swimmers. These have reduced the number of serious shark attacks to almost none but the nets also kill harmless marine¹ species, some of which are threatened. Correspondent Scott Bobb has this report from the southeast city of Durban on efforts to reduce the environmental impact of the nets.

Geremy Cliff

The sun is rising over Durban as the director of the Sharks Board, Geremy Cliff, and staff ease their skiff out of the harbor. For 45 years, the board has been protecting millions of swimmers and surfers from sharks, which thrive in the nutrient-rich waters here.

The nets are 200 to 300 meters long and anchored 400 meters from shore. They protect some 40 kilometers of the most popular beaches in the area. They have reduced the number of serious shark attacks since the 1940s to virtually none.

Director Cliff says that the nets are only six meters deep. As a result they do not act as a barrier and prevent sea animals from approaching the shore. "The shark nets are simply fishing devices. And should a shark spend a lot of time inshore it's more than likely going to encounter a net and be caught."

Maintaining the net is labor² intensive. Each net is inspected daily and must be replaced and cleaned every two weeks. Heavy seas can damage the nets or carry them out to sea.

A more recent challenge comes from environmentalists who object that the nets also kill animals that are not a threat to humans. Other coastal³ regions, like Capetown, do not use shark nets. Cliff says, "We also catch animals such as dolphins and turtles.  We don't want to do that. And as a result we've had to introduce a number of initiatives to reduce what we would term the by-catch, the catch of non-target animals."

To reduce the by-catch the Sharks Board in some areas has replaced shark nets with drum lines. These are buoys⁴ with a line and a large hook that catches only big fish. Scientists are also experimenting with electronic devices that repel⁵ sharks, and others that warn dolphins of the nets.

Cliff says the Board walks a fine line between opponents and supporters of the program. "Our philosophy is quite simple in that we believe that people who come to a small section of the coastline are entitled to be protected against shark attack. (But) We will do everything that we can to try to minimize environmental impact."

Any animals caught alive, including sharks, are tagged and set free.

Dead sharks are used for educational presentations

The dead ones are brought to the center where they are studied and used in educational presentations such as a shark dissection⁶ before students from local schools.

The program seeks to educate people about sharks' behavior. It teaches them to avoid swimming at night or at dawn when sharks often feed.

The Shark Board's mission is to protect human life and the all-important tourism industry. At the same time it seeks to better understand these wonderful, although sometimes dangerous, creatures of the sea.

1 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

2 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

3 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

4 buoys   

n.浮标( buoy的名词复数 )；航标；救生圈；救生衣v.使浮起( buoy的第三人称单数 )；支持；为…设浮标；振奋…的精神

参考例句：

• The channel is marked by buoys. 航道有浮标表示。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Often they mark the path with buoys. 他们常常用浮标作为航道的标志。 来自辞典例句

5 repel   

v.击退，抵制，拒绝，排斥

参考例句：

• A country must have the will to repel any invader.一个国家得有决心击退任何入侵者。
• Particles with similar electric charges repel each other.电荷同性的分子互相排斥。

6 dissection   

n.分析；解剖

参考例句：

• A dissection of your argument shows several inconsistencies.对你论点作仔细分析后发现一些前后矛盾之处。
• Researchers need a growing supply of corpses for dissection.研究人员需要更多的供解剖用的尸体。