Right: Aftermath: wreaths and other tributes at the scenes of fatal shark attacks during Australia's worst year on record.
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Arguments against continuing to use nets and drumlines as protection against sharks
1. Neither culling nor increased commercial fishing will remove the threat of shark attacks
Opponents of culling programs, including netting and setting drum lines, argue that they are not effective measures to reduce the risk of human injury and death.
The marine conservation organisation, Sea Shepherd, states on its Internet site, 'Queensland... has used both shark nets and drum lines (baited fishing hooks designed to catch and kill anything that is unfortunate to be caught on the hook) since the 1960s.
Neither of these techniques have been proven to work as a shark safety measure, yet due to the decrease in shark bite fatalities at the beaches these measures have been installed at, some Australians have been calling for sharks to be killed in order for them to feel safe recreating in what is a wild and natural environment.'
The Sea Shepherd site argues that these supposedly protective measures have proved ineffective as the reduction in loss of life has more to do with improved medical treatment than with culling. Sea Shepherd's Internet site states, 'Those calling for these measures have ignored the fact that medical advancements have saved the lives of shark bite survivors and though there has been a reduction in fatalities at beaches where shark control measures have been installed, shark bites are still occurring at these so called protected beaches. In fact, 47 shark bites have occurred at beaches in New South Wales where a shark net has been installed, which sadly includes a fatality, while in Queensland, 16 shark bites have occurred at protected beaches, including another tragic fatality in 2006.'
Jonathan Clarke, from Sea Shepherd Australia, has spent months inspecting shark drum lines in Queensland. He said the drum lines were often left for days without bait, creating 'a false sense of safety' for swimmers... Its not even a false sense of safety, its actually a placebo.'
The ineffectiveness of culls as a means of protecting human life has also been pointed out by Professor Colin Simpfendorfer, a shark researcher at James Cook University. Professor Simpfendorfer has stated, 'The species that are normally responsible for these sorts of bites are animals that move over large distances. Bull sharks we know move all the way from the Great Barrier Reef down to New South Wales. Tiger sharks move thousands of kilometres every year.
These animals are highly mobile so these very localised sorts of programs rarely work to actually reduce risks for swimmers.'
The Queensland Fisheries Minister, Mark Furner, has similarly argued that culling is unlikely to prove effective. Mr Furner has stated, 'By no reasons would I support a shark cull. Thats way over the top. Theres no science or reason behind that. There would be no guarantees of safety by introducing a shark cull.'
It has further been argued that increasing commercial shark fishing would not reduce the risk of human injury and death.
Daryl McPhee, associate professor and marine expert from Bond university, has explained that the sharks that pose a risk to swimmers are not the same species that commercial fishermen target.
Professor McPhee has stated, 'The three species most responsible for shark bites globally, for fatalities, [are] the white shark, the tiger shark and the bull shark. Around central Queensland there's not many white sharks, but there's tiger sharks and bull sharks, and those won't find a ready market. They're not particularly tasty, plus there's also an elevated risk of mercury in the flesh.'
The same point has been made by commercial fisherman, Mark Savins, an active, targeted shark fisherman from Bowen in north Queensland, who has stated, 'We look for the species, the size and quality. There's a sinew problem, when sharks get bigger they get tougher. There's all different grades and types of shark, qualities in meat that start from ones that look great but can't eat, up to the ones we keep.'
2. Education measures are a better option to protect human life
Opponents of culling and drum lines argue that shark encounters can be largely avoided without killing sharks if people behave in an appropriate manner. Education measures typically involve both local signage and other information sources to warn tourists and others of shark risks in a particular area together with a general education campaign to inform people of appropriate behaviour in and around the water to avoid shark attacks.
After its November 9 roundtable with local tourism operators, shark experts and the Whitsunday council, the Queensland government announced a shark amelioration strategy that focuses on education. The five-point plan includes: 250,000 towards scientific research into shark prevalence and behaviour in Cid Harbour; maintaining Cid Harbour as a no-swim zone until that assessment is complete; a high-profile education campaign to immediately educate locals and visitors about shark safety; development of a broader SharkWISE education campaign, similar to the successful CrocWISE campaign in north Queensland; and
continuing to meet with industry stakeholders and experts to develop and progress responses.
The importance of adequate signage and the relaying of local information can be seen in the two shark attacks that occurred in September, 2018. Daryl McPhee, an expert in unprovoked shark bites from Bond University, has stated, 'It [the second bite] was entirely avoidable, but clearly people werent properly informed.'
The education program is intended to address this problem. Fisheries Minister, Mark Furner, has noted that Cid Harbour will be a no-swim zone, with more than 70 signs already installed in the water warning against swimming.The SharkWISE education program to be promoted by the Queensland government includes the following elements: Swim at patrolled beaches between the �flags and obey the lifeguards advice and signage;
Avoid swimming at dawn and dusk as sharks are more actively hunting at these times
Always swim, snorkel or dive with a buddy
Be mindful of water conditions dont swim in murky or unclear water as this can increase the potential of mistaken interactions with sharks;
Never clean fish or discard food scraps over the side of your boat at anchorages;
Dont forget to use on-board holding tanks while in anchorages even black waste can attract fish, which in turn attracts predators;
Do not swim near or interfere with shark control equipment
The importance of this advice has been stress by Barbara Wueringer, a zoologist and founder of Sharks and Rays Australia, a Queensland-based research organisation. Wueringer has noted that ill-informed human behaviour may be contributing to the shark risk in the Whitsundays. She has observed videos on social media where guests on privately chartered yachts were hanging large chunks of bait overboard and successfully attracting tiger sharks to their boats.
Wueringer stated, 'Their holiday fun actually conditions the sharks to associate yachts with food.'
3. Shark numbers are in decline
Opponents of shark culling claim such programs are based on ignorance of actual shark numbers, which are declining. Critics of culling argue that the measure places additional pressure on species already at risk.
On December 14, 2018, The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) issued a media release stating, 'The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) and Humane Society International (HSI) say Australians would be shocked to learn that in the past 55 years, shark populations have declined by up to 92% off the Queensland coast and from within the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef.'
The release further stated, 'The steep decline is driven by commercial shark fishing compounded by fishery mismanagement by successive Queensland and Federal Governments. There has been chronic underreporting of threatened and endangered shark species caught since the Queensland Government abandoned an independent observer program in 2012. Earlier this year, the Federal Government also denied protection of the scalloped hammerhead shark, allowing it to be fished in the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.'
Dr. Leonardo Guida, Senior Shark Campaigner at AMCS has stated, 'Incredibly, commercial fishers can catch up to 120,000 sharks each year in our Great Barrier Reef. Those in the commercial sector who want to increase shark fishing quotas are simply ignoring the science... Sharks are critical to the Reefs health and resilience. This is something we must fix for the Reef right now. Quotas must be slashed. The independent observer program needs to be reinstated so that we can truly understand the impact commercial fishing has on sharks and the Great Barrier Reef.''
Regarding the shark culling program operated by the Queensland government, Nicola Beynon, Head of Campaigns at HSI, has stated, 'This is also more scientific evidence against the shark culling program that Queensland operates off its coastline. These long term declines put the dire situation for sharks into perspective and every effort must be put in place to protect sharks not kill them.'
The marine conservation organisation, Sea Shepherd, has stressed the impact that a severe decline in shark numbers has on marine environments. Its Internet site states, 'As the apex predators of the oceans, the role of sharks is to keep other marine life in healthy balance and to regulate the oceans. Studies are already indicating that regional elimination of sharks can cause disastrous effects including the collapse of fisheries and the death of coral reefs.'
4. The tourist industry does not favour culling or permanent drum lines
Among the opponents of culling and permanent drum lines in the Whitsundays are key members of the local tourist industry. The region is renowned for its eco tourism and locals appear concerned that aggressive shark control measures will damage that reputation and provoke hostility from sections of the community concerned about shark safety. There is also concern among locals that permanent drum lines will consolidate the idea among potential tourists that the Whitsundays are a dangerous area.
In September, 2018, then general manager of Tourism Whitsundays, Natassia Wheeler, emailed Queensland Tourism Minister, Kate Joness, policy adviser arguing for the removal of drum lines in the harbour due to negative media attention.
Mrs Wheeler, who is now chief executive of Tourism Whitsundays, emailed the policy adviser on September 24 asking:, 'Is there anything you can do to have these (drum lines) removed? If you keep these drum lines in, you are going to keep catching sharks.
The media attention will change from the attacks to the number and size of sharks caught in the Whitsundays, and then that it is an unsafe place to visit and swim.'
Later Mrs Wheeler explained that Tourism Whitsundays was also concerned about the negative reactions it had received from people concerned about shark conservation.
Mrs Wheeler claimed she had received 'emails, threats (and) horrible phone calls' from people who mistakenly thought Tourism Whitsundays authorised them.
One local woman, Kellie Leonard, wrote a similar open letter to the Queensland Premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, stating, 'It would be a lot easier to advise tourists not to swim in the areas with mud bottoms, rather than scaring people by seeing sharks getting caught on drum lines, in what will always be a sharky area.'
Local diving instructor Tony Fontes, who has lived in the area for 40 years, has claimed that while tourism operators and the government were divided, locals were resolute in their stance against drum lines.
Mr Fontes stated, 'The community at large is very much against the drum lines, this was clear following the back-to-back bites in September... The local politicians are calling for permanent drum lines and honestly, were just trying to ignore them. Weve moved beyond that, because we tried it and it didnt work. This is also because people know sharks are important and that we are able to keep swimmers safe without killing them.'
Local plumber Matt Neal has stated, 'I think we need to be careful to be seen as responding sensitively, we cant have a knee-jerk reaction. Queensland is already seen as a bit redneck; I dont think we should contribute to that.'
5. People no longer want to have sharks killed
Popular opinion seems to have shifted substantially against shark culling and drum lines, so that, particularly in areas where these measures have not been traditionally employed, these measures do not meet with community acceptance.
Public polls conducted by ABC Brisbane, Channel 7 Brisbane, The Morning Show, the Courier Mail and Fairfax Media show the public is overwhelmingly against the Queensland Government's shark culling program.
The polls were conducted online in response to the first two shark attacks at Whitsunday Island on September 19 and September 20, 2018, after which the Queensland Government placed drum lines which resulted in the deaths of six sharks.
The Morning Show asked: Four sharks have been killed following two attacks that's left victims in hospital -- but do you think sharks should be culled? Ten percent of respondents voted 'Yes,' and 90 percent 'No' from 13,100 responses.
ABC Brisbane asked: Should sharks be culled in response to attacks on humans? 16 percent of respondents voted 'Yes,' and 84 percent 'No' from 9,100 responses.
Channel 7 Brisbane asked: Do you agree with catching and killing sharks? 23 percent of respondents voted 'Yes,' and 77 percent 'No' from12,700 responses.
Courier Mail asked: Should sharks be culled in Queensland? 31 percent of respondents voted 'Yes,' and 69 percent 'No' from 552 responses.
Fairfax Media asked: Do you support the culling of sharks after an attack? Ten percent of respondents voted 'Yes,' and 90 percent 'No' from an unspecified number of responses.
Lawrence Chlebeck, Marine Campaigner at Humane Society International, has stated, 'These polls show the public does not want to see sharks culled in our oceans.'
It would appear that even the relatives of those who have suffered a shark attack do not necessarily support shark culls or drum lines. Mrs Barwicks husband Craig said he understood the governments response installing temporary drum lines after his wife was attacked and stated 'and in some ways I appreciate it. However we have to understand that while there have been two attacks in rapid succession, shark attacks are rare and sharks play an important role in the ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef.