It was very distressing to hear about the fate of the 50-year old gentleman who was killed by a great white shark in Byron Bay, New South Wales and it must have been horrifying for his now widow who was on the beach at the time and watched the tragedy unfold.

What intrigued me was the interview given afterwards by some uniformed Aussie Police-like lady who mentioned that great white sharks are apparently a protected species.  So, rather than shoot this mindless killer dead in the water, the authorities are having to try to `relocate` it somewhere away from human activity and `manage` the activities of that particular species.

It`s extraordinary.  In this country we have enough trouble with things like adders being a protected species but can there really be any merit in protecting great white sharks whose main claim to fame is precisely the kind of malevolence displayed by this most recent example?  

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And on the subject of protected species, the pound sterling looks as if it could do with some protection from the effects of uncertainty over the outcome of the Scottish referendum.  The panic has now seen the value of the pound come under pressure which is surprising given the firm refusal to allow Scotland to continue using the pound if the Scots vote to go it alone.   In which case, the Scots will have to invent a currency of their own, which could be The Jimmy, with 100 sous-esque Seeyous making up one Jimmy?