Shark News - Drum lines removed from WA waters

At 2pm yesterday, the Western Australian Government removed the drumlines which had been set to catch target sharks off the coast of WA, Australia. Whilst this news will be warmly welcomed by the majority of the public - who overwhelmingly oppose the shark cull - there is a chance that the drumlines could be back in the water by the end of the year.

The initial policy to place drumlines in the water around Perth had always been a short term policy set to run for 13 and a half weeks the intended deadline for the removal of the drumlines set as 30th April. By negotiating the placement of the drumlines on a short term, "trial" basis, Colin Barnett was able to circumnavigate some of the laws which would otherwise prevent such a policy going ahead - such as the fact that the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) is a protect species in Australian waters.

Currently the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is assessing an application by the Barnett Government to extend the drumline policy for a further 3 years. The new submission to the EPA requests permission to put drumlines in the water for 4 and a half months of each year for 3 years and is requested to begin on November 15th 2014. Since the new proposal is for a much longer time period than the initial setting of the drum lines, the EPA has decreed that the policy must be subjected to the highest level of assessment.

Given a very strong public and scientific objection to the drumline policy, the hope is that the EPA will not allow the Barnett Government to continue with this policy long term.

You can read more about the assessment here 

Shark News - The WA Shark Cull Update

Since The WA Government announced their plans to set drum lines to catch sharks, the shark cull has been strongly opposed by members of the public, the scientific community and even some celebrities. The Department of Fisheries, WA seems to have conflicting views on the policy. On the one hand they promote the cull on their webpage, on the other they state quite clearly:

"Despite their sometimes-menacing appearance and 'man-eating' reputation, sharks seldom cause harm when interacting with humans. The presence of some shark species as ‘apex predators' – occupying the very top level of the food web – is actually an indication of a healthy marine environment."

For a while, the hopes of all opposed to the WA shark cull hinged on the indication that the Environmental Protection Authoriy (EPA) of WA would assess the shark cull and potentially overturn the policy. However, on the 12th March the EPA announced that they would not assess the shark cull as they believed the cull was not likely to significantly impact the environment.   

Since the cull began over 100 sharks have been caught. The policy of the government is to release any shark smaller than 3m and to destroy any shark which is one of the 3 target species and over 3m long; so far over 30 sharks being destroyed and 14 found dead on the line. The species which has been caught with an overwhelming frequency is the tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier).  

A female tiger shark which was destroyed as part of the policy. Photo credit: Bruce the Rib, Sea Shepherd  (c) Jodi Hayes 

In a recent press release, fisheries minister Ken Baston stated: "“We have caught and destroyed a number of large sharks within one kilometre of selected beaches, at a time of year when our beaches are crowded. This catch data proves there are a large number of big sharks near these beaches". He also commended the program, saying that the methods were "working well". 

This cull has brought to light the fact that large, tiger sharks frequent the inshore waters around WA and some of the most popular beaches...yet according to the Australian Shark Attack File there was only a single fatality from shark attacks in WA in 2013, and 2 in the previous year. Whilst any loss of life is an incredibly tragic event, it is hard to imagine that these low numbers really warrant such an expensive, controversial and damaging policy as the one Colin Barnett has implemented in WA with his shark cull.  

However, there could be hope for the future. There is a limit on how long the drum lines may remain in the water and the EPA has stated they expected that "a continuation of the proposal beyond April 30 2014 would be referred for consideration". 

Shark news - Thousands turn out to protest the WA shark cull

Thousands of people across Australia turned out today to protest the decision of the West Australian government to cull sharks in the seas surrounding Perth. Protest rallies around Australia were scheduled to happen at staggered times across the country so that each state would be protesting at the same time.

Despite the heat of the day, protesters in Melbourne braved the sun to gather on the steps of the State Library of Victoria. Nationwide, an estimated 6,000 protesters gathered at Cottesloe Beach in WA (1) Manly Beach in NSW (2), Glenelg in South Australia (3) and other locations across the country.

In Melbourne protesters gathered at the State Library of Victoria

When Colin Barnett, the premier of WA, launched his policy to catch and kill large sharks he most likely did not expect the enormous national and international backlash his policy would cause. Armed with banners and decked out in all manner of shark related attire, protesters sent a clear message to the Barnett government - stop killing our sharks!

Protesters proudly displayed
homemade banners

Guest speakers at the rally included shark conservation groups such as Fin Free Melbourne, zoology and genetics major Safia Maher, fisherman Rob Embury, and Shark Defence Australia President Jordan Crooka. The message was clear - the cull has no support from the scientific community or the army of surfers, scuba divers and water users who had turned out to protest Barnett's policy.

Fisherman Rob Embury spoke up against the cull

The rally finished with a march from the State Library to Flinders Street Station. It was heartening to see the crowds marching down Swanson Street cheering "Save our Sharks" and "We don't want your bloody bait!" as a message to the Barnett government to find another way to protect beaches. It was a true tour de force of Australians standing up for their wildlife. Onlookers in the city had their smartphones out and were taking pictures of the protest as it made its way to Flinders Street.

That's the way to dress for a ride!

With so many people gathered nationally to protest this policy it feels as though Colin Barnett is the last man standing who supports the cull. It is hard to imagine that he can continue to stand by and keep his hooks in the water when their is such immense pressure from his countrymen to stop the slaughter.

1) http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/21207700/wa-shark-cull-thousands-gather-at-cottesloe-beach-as-catch-and-kill-protests-ramp-up/
2) http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/thousands-protest-wa-shark-cull-at-manly-beach-20140201-31tiy.html
3) http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/at-glenelg-and-beachside-suburbs-around-australia-thousands-of-people-protest-controversial-western-australia-shark-cull/story-fni6uo1m-1226815605616

Shark News - Weekend rallies set to oppose WA shark cull

Things are certainly hotting up in Australia as people from around the country will be gathering at one of 16 events occurring nationwide this Saturday to protest the shark cull due to happen in WA. There will also be an international additional event happening in New Zealand. The events have been scheduled in every state and will be happening at a specific time in each state so that the nationwide protests all begin together.

This will be the second wave of rallies across Australia to protest the shark cull. The first nationwide protests happened on the 4th January and made the national news. Since then the movement against the cull has gained  momentum with more Australians lending their support to protecting their wildlife. The cause has also received international attention with celebrities such as Ricky Gervais coming on board to send a message to the government of WA. A recent poll run by UMR showed that 80% of Australians oppose the cull.

The decision by the WA government to implement lethal shark preventative measures came after an increase in shark attacks in the state in recent years with 7 fatal shark attacks between 2011 and 2013. The premier of Western Australia - Colin Barnett - announced the decision to set baited drum lines late last year. Since then the proposal has been fiercely protested by the general public. The cull has also been opposed by leading shark scientists as there is very little evidence to indicate that shark culling is an effective measure to increase public safety. Many parties opposed to the cull also argue that the number of people killed by sharks per year pales in comparison to people killed in rip tides, drownings or road traffic accidents. Despite the overwhelming lack of scientific or public support, Mr Barnett is still standing by his decision to continue with the cull until at least the end of April 2014.  

The first shark to fall victim to the baited drum lines was in the south-west of the state last weekend. Whilst the catching and shooting of the animal - a tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) - caused public outrage there was an even more emotive point to the kill. According to news sources, the commercial fisherman hired to carry out the cull had misidentified the shark as a bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas). Given the striking difference between the two species this mistake is inexcusable and throws into question whether the individual should even be carrying out the job.

Tiger sharks and bull sharks are listed as "Near Threatened" in the IUCN Red List whilst white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) are listed as "Vulnerable". Colin Barnett has appealed to federal law to lift the protection on these sharks so that he may carry out his cull.

Despite Mr Barnetts seemingly immovable stance on the subject, the protest rallies this weekend look set to be well attended and hopefully will send a message which the government will find difficult to ignore.