Western Australia’s shark cull has gained international media coverage and is in the news again today – but why are hundreds of scientists worldwide so concerned that we’re now speaking out?

301 marine and environmental scientists from Australia and overseas have signed a submission to the review of Western Australia’s shark programme. In that submission – which both of us helped coordinate with others from around the world – we have pointed out there is no scientific evidence to support the culling of protected species such as white sharks.

After a 13-week trial over the 2013-2014 summer, the Western Australian government is proposing to run a three-year programme that would see the deployment of up to 72 lethal drum lines from 15 November to 30 April annually, catching about 25 white sharks and 900 tiger sharks over the period.

The state’s Environmental Protection Agency now has the job of considering the submissions and making a recommendation to the WA Minister for the Environment on whether or not the programme should proceed. The proposal to kill white sharks, a nationally protected species in Australia, will also require the approval of federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt.

Public submissions on the review, conducted by the Western Australian Environment Protection Authority (EPA), close on Monday. The following draws on responses from signatories to the submission on the shark cull review.

Why does WA’s shark cull matter overseas?

Dr. Elliott Norse, founder and chief scientist of the Marine Conservation Institute in the USA, says:

How can a country be a leader when it comes to saving whales in Antarctica, but kill threatened sharks in WA? It is a step backwards at a time when more countries are moving to protect larger areas of our oceans, in part to protect these mobile large predators, as has recently occurred in the US with President Obama’s announcement of a greatly expanded Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.

Here in Australia, the University of Sydney’s Dr Christopher Neff is a recognised authority on policies around shark bites. He warns that the cull risks “establishing a new international norm that would allow the killing of protected white sharks.”

Ocean safety

The group of experts also add weight to other facets of the shark cull. The program is based largely on claims by the WA government that the cull will a) increase ocean safety, b) not threaten shark populations, and c) not degrade marine ecosystems.

None of those claims check out.

Comparisons with Hawaii and Queensland shark programs suggest drum lines have not saved lives.

INTERACTIVE MAP: Drum lines and shark catches in Queensland