Western Australian shark cull
The policy was implemented in 2014 to protect human swimmers from shark attack following the deaths of seven people on the Western Australian coastline in the years 2010 to 2013.
[1] In September 2014 the seasonal setting of drum lines was abandoned following a recommendation made by the Western Australian Environment Protection Authority.
[4] From December 2014 to March 2017, the special deployment of drum lines was permitted in cases where sharks were deemed to present a serious threat to public safety.
[10] In the south west of Western Australia the chances of a surfer having a fatal shark bite in winter or spring are 1 in 40,000 and for divers it is 1 in 16,000.
All sharks found hooked but still alive and measuring over three metres (9 ft 10 in) in length are to be shot and their bodies disposed of at sea.
[22] The policy was supported by the ruling of the WA Supreme Court in which Justice James Edelman rejected an application from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society for an immediate injunction to have the baited drumlines removed.
[39][40] Celebrities voicing their opposition to the cull include surfer Kelly Slater, golfer Greg Norman (aka The Shark), shark attack survivor and author Rodney Fox, swimmer and UNEP Patron of the Oceans Lewis Pugh, British comedian Ricky Gervais[41] and actor Stephen Fry.
Thousands of Australians protested on two national days of action organized by scuba diver Natalie Banks, prior to and following the policy's implementation.
[48] Protesters have drawn criticism for going to extremes to show their displeasure with the policy, including threatening the lives of cabinet ministers and a fisherman's family.
[64] In October 2011, 32-year-old US citizen George Thomas Wainwright was attacked by a shark while diving and spear-fishing in Little Armstrong Bay off Rottnest Island.
[66] In July 2012, 24-year-old Ben Linden was attacked while surfing at "Dolphins" near Wedge Island, 135 km (84 mi) north of Perth.
[67] In August 2012, the results of a Bond University study comparing potential shark hazard mitigation measures for WA were published.
[70] The State Government provided $165,370 to the City of Busselton to run the trial and test the suitability of beach enclosures as a shark protection measure.
[71] The government followed the recommendations of the 2012 Bond University study, and avoided the use of conventional shark nets, which are known to trap and kill various marine life.
[78] Drum lines deployed in other jurisdictions have been shown to catch dolphins, whales and sea turtles,[79] all of which are fully protected in Australian waters.
Fisheries officers patrolling beaches in Perth and a contractor in the South-West killed 17 sharks longer than three metres (9 ft 10 in).
Premier Colin Barnett subsequently announced that the state government would no longer pursue its drum line policy.
[85] From 2014 to 2017, the Western Australian government retained the option to deploy drum lines under certain circumstances under its "imminent threat" policy.
[86] The appearance of a large great white shark in Warnbro Sound in December prompted a further deployment which did not result in a capture.
In June 2016 a drum line was set off Falcon Beach in Mandurah following a fatal shark attack on a local surfer.
A few days later a 60-year-old female diver was killed by a shark in Mindarie, north of Perth, and drum lines were set in that area.
[91] Public pressure mounted on the Western Australian State Government to adopt the same non-lethal strategy and use SMART drumlines.
[89] In April 2018 two non-fatal shark attacks near Gracetown[92] led to the cancellation of the Margaret River Pro surfing event.
[93] Following these events in August 2018 the West Australian Government bowed to public pressure and announced a 12-month trial of SMART drum lines near Gracetown.
[94][95] In November 2018, more than 7,000 Western Australians signed a petition demanding that the planned SMART drum line trial be abandoned.
[96] On 17 January 2019 the Environmental Protection Authority of Western Australia determined that the SMART drumline trial would have minimal impact on the environment and therefore did not warrant a formal assessment.
[97] The trial ran from February 2019 to May 2021, during which time it caught two great whites (the program's nominal target), 266 other sharks, and 43 other marine animals.
[108] More than 84,000 marine animals have been killed in Queensland's ongoing shark culling program, including turtles, dolphins and whales.
[115][116] Opponents of the cull are calling for a variety of non-lethal alternatives to baited drum lines to be implemented as substitute safety measures.
In South Australia, spotter planes and patrolled swimming beaches are the methods used by the state government to mitigate against shark attacks.
