Shark culling
[2][3][4][5][6][7] Government officials often cite public safety (attempting to reduce the risk of shark attacks) as a reason for culling.
[8][9] The impact of culling is also minor compared to bycatch with 50 million sharks caught each year by the commercial fishing industry.
[10] Shark culling mainly occurs in four locations: New South Wales, Queensland, KwaZulu-Natal and Réunion.
[15] Christopher Neff, a Ph.D. scholar at the University of Sydney notes, "Internationally, shark nets have been labeled a 'key threatening process' for killing endangered species."
He adds:" ... killing endangered species to boost public confidence or to show government action is not workable.
[1] Drum lines have been criticized for being environmentally destructive and speciesist, and have sparked public demonstrations and vocal opposition, particularly from environmentalists, animal welfare advocates and ocean activists.
[6] In addition, Western Australia Fisheries Minister Dave Kelly said "there is currently no scientific evidence to show that drumlines reduce the risk of a [shark] attack".
[16][11] The current net program in New South Wales has been described as being "extremely destructive" to marine life, including sharks.
Also during this period, a total of 15,135 marine animals were killed in the nets, including whales, turtles, rays, dolphins, and dugongs.
[22] Following 11 shark attacks along the New South Wales north coast between 2014 and 2016, including two fatalities,[23] shark nets and "smart" drum lines were deployed in December 2016 to cover five additional beaches along the New South Wales North Coast in a six-month trial.
The state's shark control policy has captured over 5,000 turtles, 1,014 dolphins, nearly 700 dugongs and 120 whales, all of which are federally protected marine species.
[40] Jonathan Clark of the Sea Shepherd group said culling sharks would not make swimmers safer.
[40] National Geographic cameraman Andy Casagrande said the following about the cull: "When will basic intelligence and respect for the planet be a requirement for highly paid supposedly educated government officials?
[12][41] The region's shark attack statistics primarily reflect the effectiveness of netting, as drum lines were only introduced recently, following their successful use for over 40 years in Queensland, Australia.
[12] The current shark cull in KwaZulu-Natal has been criticized by environmentalists, and has been called "archaic" and "disastrous to the ecosystem".
[46] George H. Burgess called the killings "an archaic, knee-jerk reaction that seems more borne of vengeance than of science.
[54] This "imminent threat" policy was criticized by Senator Rachel Siewert for killing endangered sharks.
[56] In November 2018, more than 7,000 Western Australians signed a petition demanding that the planned "SMART" drum line trial be abandoned.
[57] In January 2019 the Environmental Protection Authority of Western Australia determined that the "SMART" drumline trial would have minimal impact on the environment.
"[64] "Similarly, between 1943 and 1951 the South African city of Durban experienced seven fatal attacks but there have been none since nets were introduced in 1952.
"[33] In 2017, "Humane Society International applied for lethal shark control programs in New South Wales and Queensland to be listed as “key threatening processes” under the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act [of Australia].
But scientists argue that while such hunts may quench the public's desire for vengeance after a [shark] attack, they do little to reduce the likelihood of another one.
[20] There are also reports of shark attack survivors being harassed and abused on social media, presumably by extreme environmentalists.
[67][50][66][79] The Sea Shepherd group says, "private investors are trialing various programs such as electronic deterrents, drones, the Eco Shark Barrier at a local beach in Perth, and smart phone applications which use social media to advise the community of where sharks are spotted".
[80] The NSW prawn trawling industry alone results in 64 tonnes of shark as bycatch each year,[64] with two thirds dying.
[81] Tuna and swordfish longline fishing off the coast of South Africa reported 39,000 to 43,000 sharks killed each year between 1995 and 2005.
[81] Sharksavers estimates that in total 50 million sharks are caught unintentionally each year as bycatch by the commercial fishing industry.
