Humane Society applies for lethal shark control programs to be listed as ‘threatening’ under conservation act

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Environmentalists are attempting to list shark culling and the use of drum lines as threats to endangered species under federal law.

Humane Society International has applied for lethal shark control programs in in New South Wales and Queensland to be listed as “key threatening processes” under the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

That list can include any act that further endangers already threatened species, or adversely affects two or more listed threatened species.

Frydenberg to consider shark cull, drumlines after death of WA teenager Read more

HSI argues that lethal shark control measures would lead to the extinction of the grey nurse shark and cause the loggerhead turtle to become critically endangered. It also fears the measures would cause hammerhead sharks and tiger sharks to be listed as threatened species.

The move, if successful, could curtail the way lethal shark control programs can be used by the state governments.

The debate on shark control has again been prompted by another fatal attack, this time in Western Australia.

Laeticia Brouwer, 17, died after an attack at a remote surf location near Esperance, where she had been surfing with her family on Monday. There have been 14 deaths in the state since 2004.

The Western Australian government has ruled out deploying drum lines, saying they are ineffective. It is instead considering subsidies for surfers to buy personal deterrent devices, also known as shark shields.

HSI’s head of campaigns, Nicola Beynon, said shark nets were not effective in preventing attacks. She commended the approach of the Western Australian government.

“When there are more effective measures to protect both surfers and marine life, politicians must stop reverting to ineffective culling programs, which are dangerous for both beach safety and ecosystems, and are more about protecting themselves from tabloids and talkback radio,” Beynon said.

“We commend the sensible approach the WA minister is taking, which has a much better chance of protecting ocean users from sharks and without the harmful ecological impacts.”

The most recent report on NSW shark nets showed 748 marine animals became entangled in the nets in 2015-16. About 86% of those animals were threatened, protected, or species not intended to be targeted by the shark net program.

The nets killed five threatened grey nurse sharks, 21 white sharks, a great hammerhead shark, 11 green turtles, five hawksbill turtles, four loggerhead turtles, two leatherback turtles, four common dolphins and nine bottlenose dolphins.

Shark nets in NSW are already considered a “threatening process” to the environment under state law.

HSI’s application will come before the federal environment minister, Josh Frydenberg.

A spokesman for Frydenberg said all nominations were considered by the independent threatened species scientific committee, which then provided advice to government. The government then decides which matters are listed for priority assessment.

Teenage girl dies after shark attack while surfing in Western Australia Read more

“The government is committed to working with the states and territories on solutions that achieve both public safety and positive outcomes for the environment,” the spokesman said.

If the shark nets are listed as a key threatening process, it could lead to a “threat abatement plan”, which would seek to lessen the impact on threatened or endangered species.

The NSW government was exempted from assessing the environmental impact of its trial of shark nets on the north coast last year. The exemption was provided by the federal government, which cited the national interest in preventing shark attacks, which were harming local economies and undermining public confidence in water activities.

NSW’s management plan includes measures to lessen the risk to protected and endangered animals, and for the monitoring and reporting of the trial.

A spokeswoman for the primary industries minister, Niall Blair, said the government’s aim was to both minimise the risk to beachgoers and reduce bycatch. She said the frequency of shark interactions had fallen by roughly 90% after nets were installed around beaches in Sydney and Queensland.

She said the government’s shark meshing program – in place at 51 beaches between Newcastle and Wollongong – was designed to deter sharks from establishing territories, rather than creating a total barrier between bathers and sharks.

“We continue to consult regularly with local communities and relevant authorities to address shark mitigation in NSW,” she said. “The NSW government is investing $16m into trialling new technologies – such as sonar, Smart drum lines, drones and listening stations – in an effort to better protect beachgoers and minimise bycatch.”