THE fisherman contracted to catch and kill sharks off WA's South-West is being paid $5705 a day.

Details of the "lucrative" contract were posted today on the State Government's tender website.

It came as the South-West contractor said the operation had become a "circus" and the situation was becoming dangerous.

Drum lines could be deployed in the metropolitan area as soon as today, with Fisheries Department officers expected to begin setting them off Fremantle.

The fisherman will be paid a total of $610,500 for 107 days work - equating to $5705 a day.

The contract runs from January 14 to April 30.

According to the website, the contractor is required to deploy shark drum lines, manage the operation as well as carry out "associated services", such as shooting any shark caught by the traps.

On the website it also says the fisherman, who has asked not to be identified, was one of 18 contractors who applied for the job.

The total cost of the South-West contract adds fuel to speculation the entire contract would cost more than the $1 million first suggested by Premier Colin Barnett when he announced the policy after Christmas.

Earlier today, the South-West contractor, who has asked not be named, said media aboard charter boats were surrounding his vessel and checking drum lines for sharks before he could get to them.

Conservationists have also been checking the drum lines off Dunsborough and claim to have released stingrays that have become hooked.

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The former cray fisherman said there would come a day when he caught a "serious animal" such as a large great white shark, and he did not want public safety to become a risk.

He has a direct line to police but so far the fisherman has not called on Fisheries Department officers or WA Police.

"If I have to deal with a serious situation, I don't want to deal with it in the public eye," he said.

"It's becoming a bit of a circus out here really. It's making it a bit hard to do my job, it's becoming a safety concern."

The fisherman said this would be his last interview, and any further comments on the controversial drum line catch-and-kill operation would have to come from Colin Barnett's Department of Premier and Cabinet.

"I have to leave it at that. That's about all I can say," he said.

Last week, the government was forced to reveal it had to draft in its own Fisheries officers to carry out the contract at the five metropolitan beach locations after a number of commercial companies pulled out over alleged threats.

Today, the Premier was also forced to admit on radio that he wasn't sure of the exact price of the contract.

He also said nothing would change his mind about the controversial policy saying those who opposed the plan "aren't beachgoers".

"It's one of those issues that everyone will talk about, everyone will have an opinion on but some of the false claims, I think, have been quite ludicrous" he said.

"Nevertheless, I still believe that the majority of people probably think that the Government has to do something. That's my position.

"I don't get any satisfaction or glee out of seeing a shark killed but as a Premier, I have a fundamental responsibility to protect the lives and safety of Western Australians.

"It is part of our way of life to go the beach, swim, feel safe and part of the way of life for young people in this state to go out and surf and so on.

"We are taking what I think, in reality, are quite modest measures to protect a very small part of our coastline out to about a kilometre from very large sharks that have certainly increased in numbers and we've got the reality of seven fatalities in three years when we've only had 20 in the last 100 years."

Mr Barnett has revealed his personal security has increased following threats and vandalism at his office.

Opposition Leader Mark McGowan said the contract was ``incredibly expensive''.

Greens senator Scott Ludlam said the policy was costing WA taxpayers and wildlife dearly.

``I would think this is just another signpost for the Barnett government to give up on its disastrous policy and go back to something that's based in evidence,'' Mr Ludlam said.

Mr Barnett said opponents to the policy had become ``ludicrous'' and ``extreme''.

Last week, the fisherman told PerthNow he was using mackerel to bait the "very large" drum line hooks but from this week he would be using salmon trucked over from South Australia.

He said police and Fisheries officers were only standby to protect against protesters "but only if necessary, and so far it hasn't been necessary".

So far one shark has been caught. Other sharks considering a danger over 3m in length will also be destroyed.

"We will shoot it and take it well offshore and dispose of it. We will puncture the gut cavity so the lice can get in," the fisherman said.

As a South-West resident of 40 years, he said he was "spooked" by the spate of shark attacks.

He said by-catch including dolphins and turtles would be unlikely because of the large size of the hooks used, but conservationists have questioned that claim, saying stingrays have already been found and released from the drum lines.

The protest against the policy will ramp up again this weekend, with 16 rallies planned in the state.

Rallies will also be held in other Australian states and in New Zealand.

The social media campaign against the policy continues, with one website calling for Australians overseas to contact their local embassy or consulate to voice opposition.