Croc trophy hunts

[wattso]

Intresting points in that article Fuscus. Best idea, let the aboriginies "cull" them. they been doing it for few thousand years, if anyone is "expert" its them. They could also do with the money being paid to cull them. I've seen some very poor aboriginal communitys in the top end, better use of the money to provide health/basics/education there . wonder how Aboriginies hunted them for so long without "over doing it"? Imo they know more about conservation than the "crikey" types. lol

 

[africancichlidau]

I see where ya coming from Wattso, but, when it was left to natural causes to control their population they had far more room to do it in. If you want to go back to those ways then you have to return the land to the state it was in then. And I don't mean sending the soil around your Qld Palm back to Queensland

 

[wattso]

I know all that watso. We are talking about shooting here. Population number control by humen.
I do not understand what the cane toads have to do with it, that is different story all together.

Slatey, i meant canetoads were touted by the "experts" as population control of beetles affecting cane crops. every one[whos vote counted] agreed with the "experts". thats what it has to do with it. now people will agree with the "experts" again about how best to control croc numbers. next step, some "experts" may decide commercial culling will work better, for export of meat/skins O>S. if gov agrees with "experts" about so called "sustainable resources" [crocs] as means of controlling numbers, then we are taking first steps down the road to croc eradication . Greed does it, same as tassy tiger. more deman for meat/skins, more shooting.
how fast do crocs breed to keep up demand? keeping in mind that habitat destruction will continue, along with humans moving into croc territory. together this could endanger crocs sooner than expected.
does this explain how im thinking better?

 

[Slateman]

I just feel sory for Abalone. They are left to be colected by Aboriginals and some tribes using comercial metods to do that now. If crock hunting will be profit earning industry, ab. people will have no mercy same like any private enterprice.
We will se what local expert will find as answer. Mabe good, mabe bad. But I would not leave decision just on aboriginals. Modern abo is same as anybody else this days.

 

[africancichlidau]

But his tastes in alcohol are a little different

 

[wattso]

LOL Africa, think it boils down to deciding how many crocs/how much croc territory to retain for their conservation and how much to destroy for ever expanding human populations. Us or them! seems to me that without alotting a certain proportion of the crocs natural habitat [wherever they are found] permantly to crocs, [not for future human habitation] and getting a real idea how many there are, how many those areas can sustain etc, that random culling, even 600 a year is irresponsible. btw, are they talking about 600 females or males or either over a certain size. can shooters tell the difference, is a shooters estimation of size good enough. whats the effect of killing a populationd dominant male etc. how much thought and scientific study has really been done beyond, someone saying, "folks is gettin ate, thars too many pa, lets kill some!"?

 

[wattso]

I wasnt refering to your "down in the park, slugging a bottle of plonk or cask wine variety" slatey lol Those who havent been ruined by white mans firewater in outback who still hunt by traditional methods i meant. they know what conservation means, if they kill em all theres none for tucker another day! :lol:

 

[africancichlidau]

Of course it does Wattso, but when the time comes to decide between the croc and the man who do you think is gonna win?

 

[Fuscus]

Slatey, Amateur collection of Abolone is legal in Victoria and SA. There are strict size and bag limits and Victoria seem to be doing a good job. Over Xmas I went to some old spots in bass strait after an absence of 10 years and found that the abolone population was pretty much the same. Absolutely thousands of the little blighters and properly 99.98% just undersize. I was able to get my bag limit of legal size after quite a bit of work.
We can manage wild resources properly providing we are careful, habitat loss, fragmentation of habitat, pollution (including greenhouse) and exotic species are all greater threats.
We do have an advantage with crocs, their greatest predator is larger crocs so that their survial rate is a lot higher in the absence of larger animals, the other is pigs (which goes against the list above). They provided a ready source of food for crocs after they were protected and their numbers started expanding again.

 

[wattso]

Of course it does Wattso, but when the time comes to decide between the croc and the man who do you think is gonna win?

win or lose?, thats subjective imo, have we won or lost when we've driven something to extinction? :idea:

 

[africancichlidau]

That depends, are we still alive?

 

[wattso]

not if we drive enough species to extinction no. fairwell homo sapiens stupidii :lol:

 

[africancichlidau]

As long as we still got cows and sheep we'll be right And I hate to be picky but shouldn't that be Homo Sapiens StupidUS

 

[wattso]

LOL..........man doth not live on lamb chops and topside steak alone!
:lol: :lol: :lol: ...........eventually you wouldnt have cows or sheep either.

 

[Amy]

Yet another idea from our so called "experts" What happens when 25 crocs per year becomes 50 crocs per year and then 100 and then 200. This doesn't include those that get shot for being "man eating predators" or those who are taken from the nests as eggs and sold on the black market. Or those who die because of habitat loss. Or those who die as a result of a few drunkards going out with riffles and taking pot shots at anything that moved in the water. Or those who die of polution from us. Or those who die simply from natural causes like age.

It's all good and well people want to make a little money from something that happens anyway. But what happens when the almighty dollar takes hold? I just think that ALOT more research should be done before anyone decides to do anything or impose any new laws/regulations. I for one have an utmost respect for the crocodile. I want to see them in the wild in 10 years time not just in some crocodile park or even worse, stuffed in a museum as another tribute to what man can do once the idea of a quick buck takes hold.

Also, what happens if more females are shot than males? This would bring the breeding numbers down dramactically. And what happens when all of those who are considered "size" are killed? Will the tourist attraction stop? Or will they simply lower the legal so that they can continue to make some $$

 

[Greebo]

I think it's time to put the soap-box away.

Opinions are like ar$eholes...everyone has one.

 

[Slateman]

lol

 

[wattso]

Well put Amy, some people here, dont like a debate when certain people make a valid point against their own opinion! If they dont have a valid counter point they belittle the person, change the subject, or try to put the whole thing to bed by saying something patronising like "leave it to the experts". :x You said exactly what I meant, however far more clearly and eloquently, must be the lawyer in you. lol .............Yes Greebo, everybody has an opinion, thats why its called a debate, everybody is allowed to express their opinion,thats why its called freedom of speech, everybody has an arsehole as you say and everybody knows one too! :lol:

 

[Greebo]

, thats why its called a debate

I'm sorry but a debate requires that each side listens to the other side of argument.All I see on this thread is people stating what their personal beliefs are.It looks more like a bunch of letters to the editor than a debate.
That's just my opinion of course.

 

[wattso]

Bingo!........ and your most welcome to it greebo.