Last resort
It was bound to happen sometime: a couple of big white sharks that were spotted near Eagle Bay, Meelup Beach and Bunker Bay prompted the Director General of Fisheries to issue a kill or capture order for these animals that were only minding their own business. Although meanwhile fisheries officers have suspended the hunt for the sharks which were deemed a possible threat to swimmers at popular Australian beaches, it is the first time authorities have attempted to use their powers to either capture or destroy a shark considered an imminent threat. Two attempts using baited hooks failed to attract the sharks, but Fisheries Metropolitan Regional Manager Tony Cappelluti says fisheries boats remain in the area. This news confirms my worst fears about the possible preemptive cull of great whites in Western Australia. Although the fisheries officers have always stated that the actual killing of sharks would be a last resort option and only be made if a certain shark posed a very obvious threat to humans, being big and in the vicinity of a beach seems to be reason enough to label a shark as hazardous and cullable. Stupidity in its most blatant and obvious form, certainly if you consider the fact that great white sharks are protected and endangered animals.
Ashamed
Although some people (mostly the ones that make big profits from local tourism) claim that white shark numbers have risen significantly since they became a protected species in Australia in the 1990s, these assumptions are based on anecdotal evidence of the highly speculative kind and not shared by most shark researchers or supported by sound scientific data. Besides that, the worlds oceans are not giant swimming pools that were designed solely for mans amusement, but wild ecosystems. And wild ecosystems are and should be ruled by apex predators which uphold a natural and healthy balance. If you can’t accept the very slim chance of being attacked by a shark, just stay out of the ocean! Quite a number of Western Australians are disgusted by the shark policy the Western Australian fisheries authorities have adopted, judging the following statement from Blair Ranford: “Today is one of the most tragic and sad days in my life. I’m horrified to report that our government here in Western Australia has issued the first official kill order on great whites in an area 200 kilometers south of Perth. Despite being sighted 200 meters from shore and people being cleared from the water, they somehow remained an ‘imminent threat’ and a kill order issued. Thankfully so far the sharks have outwitted them, but the line in the sand has been crossed. We have had numerous sightings of sharks in the past two months, some much closer to shore, yet no kill order was issued. Why all of sudden now? Ill tell you why, a couple of businesses have been complaining about lost revenue due to shark sightings and voila: the next day a kill order is issued. I’m ashamed today to be Australian, but 80 percent of West Aussies oppose any form of cull yet here we go. Please express your outrage and anger to our government, and help us rid ourselves of the most insidious anti environment government imaginable.”
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