Fischer - going for broke!

The savior of Australia - or is he? Source.

Bingo - again!

Yup the dude is certainly crafty.

Whereas he was only hinting before, he's now said it: he's the only one that can make the beaches in Western Australia safe - and fuck the Aussie researchers that obviously don't know what they're doing, and the stupid Aussie governments that refuse to acknowledge him as their only pathway to salvation.

Breathy interview here.

Of course it's all bollocks.

That research was pioneering 1-2 years ago. 

But now, there are better alternatives: less invasive protocols, and excellent local and international researchers that have worked with those Sharks for years and can certainly do the very same job without having to contend with all that self promoting noise, that inflated ego, those omnipresent cameras and the incessant media circus.

There's no middle ground here.

Tell him to get lost - and warn your friends in New Zealand!

Fischer - Australia next?

Best pals, all smiles in Cape Cod - for now! Source.

Bingo.

And I cite.

You also have a history of secretly obtaining research permits without proper public consultation and awareness, and of then barging in on commercial GWS diving sites whilst disregarding the concerns of the local shark diving operators - and from what I hear, you are attempting to do the same right now in Australia. 

As a fellow Shark diving operator I cannot but disapprove of that MO. 
If you're so convinced of the validity of what you do, you should at least be willing to engage with all stakeholders, defend your POV and adapt your procedures in order to address any valid concerns.

And now - watch this.

Crafty crafty Mr. Fischer.

Playing to the fears of Shark attacks by claiming that he's there to make the beaches safer, and trying to use that to put pressure on the Ozzie federal and state governments by using the Australian media to harness public support. And playing the teary Shark savior card (oh how he suffers for the Sharks!) by suggesting that those GWS are about to go extinct, a fact that is not at all supported by the data - not in California, very likely not in Australia and especially not in Cape Cod!

Will the ploy work?

For now, neither the governments nor any reputable local researchers let alone the local Shark diving operators that ply their trade in the Neptunes want anything to do with him - and rightly so. By today's standards, the protocols are too invasive meaning that if so wanted, the same data can now be collected equally successfully but with far less stress on the animals and less damage to their fins - and without having to suffer through all that media circus and the bombastic self promotion, let alone the inevitable shit storm by the frothy anti-OCEARCH brigades!

But this is certainly not he last we will hear of it.

Fischer is an accomplished manipulator and not likely to give up anytime soon, the more as he disposes of some impressive assets and always manages to find some researcher to lend him credibility and support, at least temporarily - and then, they start believing the whole marketing spiel, get enamored with the media exposure and one's perceived importance and get badly burned in the process. Once the ego gets stoked, brain cells appear to wither, and now that Skomal is the new darling of Discovery, the path towards self destruction by implosion is all but guaranteed.

Seen it before many a time.

We now know the truth about Domeier, but it would be really interesting to hear what Fischer's other various past scientific collaborators from the back-stabbing Klimley to Johnson and Kock have to say now that the media circus has moved on!

Still happy and proud about the association? 

Is Fischer continuing to fund years of Shark research in SA as promised?

And where are those dozens upon dozens of announced seminal papers?

Questions questions!

To be continued no doubt!

Despicable!

Some morons have killed a Tiger Shark.

That in itself is certainly sad - but shit happens and it may have been in perceived self-defense.
Not very likely considering the "circumstances" as told - but possible.

What has really angered me and countless others within the Shark Community is the ensuing media spectacle: and lemme tell you, when the story even makes it onto the venerable "Fiji Times", someone has pulled every possible marketing stop!

In retrospect and with that in mind, the whole event appears staged and questions like "why didn't they jump into their boat and leave" or " wouldn't the Shark have left once shot for the first time" are more than justified, along with ethical concerns about the countless pictures of the diver stabbing the animal with his knife and then posing with the tail and jaws. The way I understand it, it goes against everything serious free divers stand for, and that is a profound knowledge and respect for the Ocean.

Patric over there has addressed the whole shenanigans first in this post and then, in this op ed.
The latter is as good as is gets, well worth reading and reflecting about - and you may want to read the comments by many prominent advocates of Shark Conservation.
Bravo Patric!