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As a local resident, I want shark nets out now
I am writing to you to express my disappointment over the continued use of shark culling in Queensland, through the Shark Control Program (SCP). Beach safety must be modernised using evidence-based strategies. The nets and drumlines have been used at Queensland beaches for more than 60 years and we wouldn’t accept safety standards this old in our homes, schools or workplaces. The beach should be no different. When your government came into power, it was encouraging to hear that new, non-lethal technologies would be considered. I am also encouraged by the ongoing use of drone surveillance and trials of Catch-Alert drumlines which tag and track sharks. I am further awaiting the recommendations from independent experts following a 5-year review of the SCP completed last year. The investment and trial of non-lethal alternatives by Queensland’s Department of Primary Industries must continue and be expanded upon. Shark nets and drumlines also catch and kill hundreds of marine animals every year – and over half are non-target species including whales, dolphins, turtles, and rays. It is still alarming that shark are in use all year round, especially when the NSW Government removes them for the whale migration season. I am also aware that the operation of the SCP in the Great Barrier Reef was challenged a few years ago, and during the case, the Administrative Appeals Tribunal found that shark culling does not reduce the risk of shark bite, and that the SCP is having a serious impact of Queensland’s threatened marine species. The SCP should immediately transition to non-lethal methods that actually reduce the risk of shark bite. I stand ready to congratulate your government when a decision is taken to retire the shark nets and lethal drumlines, relying instead on modern and evidence-based technologies instead. It’s a win-win for human safety and the ocean.
Yes, send me updates from Australian Marine Conservation Society
No, do not send me updates from Australian Marine Conservation Society
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