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A great white shark.
The great white shark is a protected species. Photograph: AAP Image/ScreenWest Photograph: AAP Image/ScreenWest
The great white shark is a protected species. Photograph: AAP Image/ScreenWest Photograph: AAP Image/ScreenWest

Shark cull to be assessed by Western Australia’s environmental watchdog

This article is more than 9 years old

Environmental Protection Authority will evaluate the WA government’s plan to resume the cull on 15 November

Western Australia’s environmental watchdog has said it will assess the state government’s bid to extend its controversial shark-baiting program to three years.

WA’s Environmental Protection Authority previously ruled out assessing the trial of the shark cull, which began in January and is set to end next week, claiming that it posed a negligible risk to shark species. The decision outraged conservationists.

But the EPA will now assess the WA government’s plan to resume the cull on 15 November this year until the end of April 2017, after which the program will be subject to a review.

The agency said it had received nearly 10,000 public comments over the issue, with the majority opposed to the baiting and destroying of sharks.

“In view of the increased duration of the proposal and the level of public interest, a public review of the proposal is warranted,” the EPA said.

The federal government will also assess the extended project after initially waving through the trial without an analysis on its impact on great white sharks and mako sharks, both of which are protected species.

The extended shark cull will see the setting up of 72 baited drumlines off popular beaches in Perth and south-west WA.

The project has targeted great white, bull and tiger sharks measuring over 3m. Target sharks caught by the baited hooks have been shot by roving teams of contractors in boats.

The shark cull was instigated by the WA government in response to a spate of recent attacks. A total of 11 people have been confirmed as being killed by sharks in WA since 2000.

“Unlike this summer’s 13-and-a-half week drum-line program, the EPA will need to undertake a detailed assessment of the environmental impacts, including the cumulative impacts of implementing a 22-week program every year for three consecutive years to determine whether or not the EPA’s objectives for marine fauna can be met,” said Paul Vogel, the watchdog's chairman.

There will be a four-week submission period, with the EPA’s recommendations released later this year.

Gerry Waneck, vice-president of Western Australians for Shark Conservation, told Guardian Australia he hoped the assessment showed the trial had been a mistake.

“They’ve only killed tiger sharks so far, which are probably the least aggressive sharks in terms of attacking humans,” he said.

“The drum lines aren’t protecting people at all, the bait is actually attracting more sharks towards beaches. I would hope they decide the trial has been ineffective and has had a significant undesirable impact upon the environment by killing tiger sharks.

“There are so many alternatives to this policy. This has just been political hardheaded stubbornness by people who don’t understand what they are doing. They haven’t listened to the scientists and they haven’t listened to the public.”

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