May 8, 2014
Ernesto McConnell
Reporter
Headlines
A three-month culling program in Western Australia ended last week. The program was part of a $20 million shark mitigation plan that used baited lines attached to floating drums to catch sharks. The policy allowed any hooked tiger, bull, or white sharks that measured over 10 feet long to be destroyed. Between January and April 2014, 172 sharks were caught. Of the 172, some 50 tiger sharks that met the length criteria were destroyed. According to Western Australia’s Fisheries Minister Ken Baston, the program has been a success, restoring confidence among beachgoers, as well as providing vital research about shark behavior. However, none of the sharks caught during the 3 month span were white sharks, credited for the deaths of seven people over the last three years in Western Australia. Conservationists have been placing heavy criticism on the culling program, claiming that the sharks should remain protected species, and that the tiger shark species, of which 50 sharks were destroyed during the program’s run, has not been responsible for human deaths in the area for decades. According to Sea Shepherd shark campaigner Natalie Banks, over 70% of the animals caught on the hooks were either too small to be destroyed, or were other animals, such as stingrays.
