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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSharks In Danger After Australian Official Sweeps Away Protections
Australias environment minister has swept away existing federal protections for endangered species, so the controversial shark cull may go on in the western part of the country.
Greg Hunt, who has come under fire lately from conservationists and scientists who oppose the cull, said that it was in Australias national interest to exempt the state of Western Australia from the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. Hunts approval of the exemption was made public on Monday evening.
The cull, which involves stringing baited hooks off the shores of popular beaches in Perth to lure sharks in and then shooting them if theyre over nine feet long, is intended to decrease the number of shark attacks on humans. There have been seven fatal attacks in the past three years.
Opponents have called the approach inhumane and unscientific, claiming that it will only increase shark attacks on humans by drawing them closer to shore.
https://www.thedodo.com/sharks-in-danger-after-austral-397507145.html
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Blood in the water
NV Whino
(20,886 posts)Baclava
(12,047 posts)"The shark attacks had struck terror into people along the coast. The number of bathers coming to the beach dropped in some places by 75%. Merchants that depended on tourism lost a quarter of a million dollars worth of business. Armed men in motorboats began to patrol the waters off the Jersey beaches. Communities began to offer a bounty for each shark caught and killed. There was even talk of having the military eradicate all sharks off the Jersey coast, though this was clearly impractical. "
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)redqueen
(115,103 posts)From the Guardian article linked in the blog post:
seveneyes
(4,631 posts)Perhaps it would be worthwhile.
Baclava
(12,047 posts)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