Australian state divided after shark cull gets the green light
A plan to kill sharks off the coast of Western Australia is set to begin this week. Authorities say their strategy will reduce the risk of attack to members of the public, but critics warn it could harm the ecosystem
Five years ago, Paul de Gelder lost his hand and a leg in a shark attack. The navy clearance diver was swimming on his back through Sydney Harbor in 2009, when a bull shark bit into his thigh and thrashed him around "like a rag doll".
"I was absolutely petrified of sharks before I got attacked," he said. "That's the ingrained fear of being eaten alive." But despite his encounter, de Gelder is speaking out against a plan to catch and kill large sharks in the Australian state of Western Australia.
Under the plan, which received final approval this week, professional fishermen will be contracted to shoot sharks over three meters in length that stray into nets. Up to 72 so-called drum lines, consisting of floating drums, nets and hooks laced with bait, will be installed one kilometer from the shoreline of at-risk beaches. The nets will be kept in place in Perth and on the south west coast until April 30.
The state government said the plan is an attempt to reassure the public and the tourism industry, following seven fatal shark attacks in the region over the past three years. In the most recent incident in November, surfer Chris Boyd was killed in an attack south of Perth.
"These measures could definitely stop similar attacks from happening," de Gelder told DW. "But, the great white shark is on a protected list. And now the State Premier has decided that he's just going to openly slaughter as many as he can. It doesn't make any sense."
http://www.dw.de/australian-state-divided-after-shark-cull-gets-the-green-light/a-17370817
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