Should drumlines and nets continue to be used to protect Australians against sharks?
Introduction to the media issue
Video clip at right: On September 8, 2020, 9 News ran a news item on the death of Gold Coast local Nick Slater after he was attacked by a great white shark while surfing at the popular Greenmount Beach, in Coolangatta, the previous evening.What they said...
There needs to be more drum lines immediately installed at Greenmount until the shark involved in the attack is found.
Queensland Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington
There's no such thing as a rogue shark. Unlike in the film Jaws nor in the early literature, there's no evidence sharks "get a taste for human flesh
ABC Environment reporter Nick Kilvert.
The issue at a glance
On September 8, 2020, a 46-year-old Gold Coast real estate agent, Nick Slater, was fatally mauled by a shark while surfing at Greenmount Beach.
While there have been several fatal attacks in Queensland waters recently, no deaths have occurred off protected beaches such as Greenmount for more than twenty years. The beaches are protected mainly by shark nets and baited drumlines.
Queensland Opposition leader Deb Frecklington called for more drumlines to be installed and for the shark to be found. However, Fisheries Minister Mark Furner said that there would be no hunt for the shark responsible for Mr Slaters death. Instead, reliance on the system of nets and drumlines would continue.
We dont hunt sharks, we put in material to protect swimmers, Mr Furner told an ABC reporter.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said that if improvements could be made to the Queensland program, they should be.