In spite of such efforts no significant decrease in rate of shark attacks was ever detected. The emergence of HPAI was also attributed to Asian poultry flocks. Check out our guide. In fact, when shark culling was carried out in Hawaii, between 1959 to 1976, over 4,500 sharks were killed and yet there was no significant decrease in the number of shark bites recorded. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. For an ocean with sharks is a healthy ocean and one that stands a greater chance in mitigating against the climate emergency we are in. You can be a voice for sharks and other marine life by signing the petition to end 84 years of shark culling, remove the nets and drum lines and opt for more non-lethal alternatives to shark mitigation. Free of shark harassment, turtles are munching seagrass, and crabs have been disrupting seabed sediment. [16], 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." [17][11] The current net program in New South Wales has been described as being "extremely destructive" to marine life, including sharks. The shark cull may in fact be exacerbating the shark problem in a cruel and ironic circle. A survey of more than 1,800 people found significant similarities in how different groups of . I can understand that because there has been a lot of aggression and threatening behaviour in the community.. Professor Colin Buxton of the University of Tasmania told the ABC: "the use of shark nets and drum lines is a proven way of reducing shark attack, however the public need to understand and acknowledge that this works by killing sharks". Fact Check: Are smart drum lines just a PR exercise? "[34], 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]. Across the Pacific Islands, sharks hold important cultural value. The term "shark control" is often used by governments when referring to culls. [54] This "imminent threat" policy was criticized by Senator Rachel Siewert for killing endangered sharks. Sharks have gained an identity of the vengeful. Pros Cons Sharks are an important source of tourism across Australia. We need to avoid shark culls and give them enough time to survive, grow, and reproduce. Posted on Last updated: November 18, 2022. They are killed to protect surfers, swimmers and other people engaging in ocean water activities. After all, 80 is an incredibly low number when you consider how many people surf, swim, and ride jet skis and boats every single year. The KZNSB also states that there were seven fatal attacks at Durban from 1943 until the installation of shark nets in 1952, and that no fatalities or incidents resulting in serious injury have occurred since nets were installed. From 1959 to 1976, the state of Hawaii culled 4,668 sharks (at an average cost of $182 per shark), including 554 tiger sharks, in a series of shark control programs. [32] It has been argued that killing sharks in the Great Barrier Reef is "vastly inconsistent with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority's main objective, 'to provide for the long-term protection and conservation of the environment. Culling is the process of selective elimination of animals based on traits or factors such as health, appearance, and sex. However, it was later discovered that the major transmitters of the virus were daytime mosquitos, meaning they had been killing the wrong species. Read More. Lifetime cow studies were conducted at a USDA experiment station in Montana. Drumlines are marine traps designed to capture sharks and many of them are used for shark culling. [57] In January 2019 the Environmental Protection Authority of Western Australia determined that the "SMART" drumline trial would have minimal impact on the environment.[58]. PROS: Allows shark movement and behaviour to be monitored and studied, swimmers and surfers can be warned if a shark is detected close to shore. In Hawaii, sharks were culled during the 1960s and '70s with no reduction in bites; recent tagging research implicates habitat preference as the primary driver of shark density, with new sharks moving into preferred areas upon the elimination of other sharks. Global Perspectives on the Biology and Life History of the White Shark", "A comparison of the shark control programs of New South Wales and Queensland (Australia) and KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa)", "Durban activists claim 'shark nets serve no purpose', "Man Who Devoted Life To Sharks, Killed Off The Coast Of Reunion", "In Face Of Shark Attacks, Some Suggest A Gruesome Preemptive Strike", "Shark Nets in Australia What Are They and How Do They Work? Some animals pose a serious threat to or interfere with human activities such as farming, recreation, and even human settlement. [12][42] 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. The Grom Life is an independent publisher. Here, culling is done based on factors affecting cow performance, such as milk production, reproductive status, and diseases. These measures are dangerous to other sea creatures like rays, turtles, dolphins, and small, harmless sharks, which get caught up in the traps. Shark culling is ludicrous, you have more of a chance dying from a coconut falling on you than a shark attack, . According to a spokesperson for WA's Fisheries Minister Ken Baston, in September 2014 the WA Government withdrew its proposal for the operation of drum lines for a further three years because the WA Environmental Protection Authority found there to be a: "high degree of scientific uncertainty about impacts [of drum lines] on the south-western white shark population". Dr Daniel Bucher from Southern Cross University told the ABC: "Great whites are a threatened species and the existing population is already low. Although the culling of sparrows helped to eliminate the disease, it had a negative impact on the ecosystem. You would have to kill a lot of sharks to create the level of depletion needed to result in a measurable drop in the risk to humans". CONS: Traditional drumlines are designed to kill sharks. PROS: Statistics support their efficacy, with one fatality at a netted beach between Newcastle and Wollongong in the past 70 years and an overall drop in shark interactions with humans since nets were installed around Sydney and Queensland. Put simply, shark culling is a deliberate government action to kill and reduce the numbers of sharks in our oceans, which is usually an unthoughtful, knee-jerk reaction to a shark attack. AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), abc.net.au/news/protecting-humans-from-sharks-what-are-the-options/7979206, Get breaking news alerts directly to your phone with our app. 2. [11] More than 5,000 marine turtles have been caught on the nets. The White-tailed deer have become a threat to settlement in many suburbs across the US because they do not have natural predators. Therefore, many governments started culling them. Scientists have explained that when the older dominant adults are culled, younger animals move in from the surrounding areas to replace the adults. These traps are designed to capture bull, tiger, or great white sharks off popular beaches. But most of the approaches used when culling, cause pain and suffering to animals. That list can include any act that further endangers already threatened species, or adversely affects two or more listed threatened species. The deer population in the UK is also managed through culling. If a particular species population becomes too large, that species becomes a threat not just to themselves but also to other animals. [18] Shark experts and conservationists also say there is no evidence that drum lines prevent shark attacks. The state government decided to spray pesticides targeting those mosquitoes that bite humans at night. More than 84,000 marine animals have been ensnared by drum-lines and shark nets since the program began in 1962 [] Nearly 27,000 marine mammals have been snared. PROS: Ability to save sharks once they are caught. Not only are shark attacks still common at beaches that have shark nets installed, and not only do they lead to a slow and painful death for the shark, but they kill other marine life as well. Those who don't die immediately on these lines are shot by a contractor who is employed by the Queensland Government. [20] Between September 2017 and April 2018, more than 403 animals were killed in the nets in New South Wales, including 10 critically endangered grey nurse sharks, seven dolphins, seven green sea turtles and 14 great white sharks. is a freelance blogger based in Pakistan. ", "The Untold Story of Shark Nets in Australia", "Sydney Shark Nets Set to Stay Despite Drumline Success", "Whitsunday Locals Resist Shark Culls After Two Attacks", "Here's What You Need To Know About Australia's SMART Drum Lines Being Used To Prevent Shark Attacks", "Shark Nets Death Traps For Marine Animals", "About the Campaign:Sea Shepherd Working Together With The Community To Establish Sustainable Solutions To Shark Bite Incidents", "Threat to Cut Shark Nets if Government Fails to Act", "Shark nets will return to NSW's north coast beaches", "Shark Nets To Be Removed From All NSW North Coast Beaches", "Dolphins, Rays Among Hundreds Of Non-targeted Animals Killed On Queensland Shark Nets And Drum Lines, Figures Show", "Video: Endangered Hammerhead Sharks Dead on Drum Line in Great Barrier Reef", "621 Sharks Killed Off Queensland Coast Through Control Program", "Australian Government Plans Would Block Shark Cull Photography", "Queensland Government Kills Sharks, Faces Court Challenge", "Overfishing has destroyed Australia's shark population", "Lifesavers warn swimmers off Amity Point", "Australian Authorities Kill 6 Sharks After Whitsunday Islands Attacks", "Culling Of Tiger Sharks After Whitsundays Attacks Sparks Heated Debate", "Fourth Shark Culled Leads to Backlash After Whitsundays Attacks", "Drum Lines Part Of Life In South Africa For 50 Years", "Fact Check: Are smart drum lines just a PR exercise? 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