Dreamy

As it isn't about whether you value human life over sharks, you may be surprised at what the silent majority believe.

Culling sharks could actually increase human deaths as complacency would become prevalent.

bcworld

Ah yes...the good old 'silent majority'...you can always rely on them when confronted with a poll result you don't like!

Grayling

They are eaten regularly by many. You are allowed to take one shark up to a metre and a half per day.

paulry

Better to cull some crocs

BadgeIsBack

Does that include the distance back home?
I reckon they could tow you ! I saw this movie once....

cresta57

I believe bag/size limits apply to all shark species as well as other fish & it's not a per day thing it's an in your possession thing. The fisheries often pull up at the caravan parks in Hervey Bay & ask to look in eskies. Large numbers of N.S.W anglers were caught last year thinking they could catch 25 whiting per day & take home 350 per couple. If they want to be picky [and they are] they can even raid your home freezer & check your frozen fillets.
Bull Sharks apparently are good eating, not my idea of good eating considering the crap water they live in [Brisbane River etc.]

renth

FYI You can't eat the 3m plus sized sharks.

Well you can but it's not advised as they are apex predators and their flesh is contaminated with PBCs and mercury and all sorts of other harmful stuff.

TGA

Out of curiosity do you and your family uses the beach for swimming /surfing?
The reason i ask is because i'm trying to imagine if my kids used one of the high risk beaches for swimming or surfing and how i'd feel about the cull and if i'm honest i would sleep better at night knowing something was being done to keep them safer what ever the percentages or risk factors.

renth

My wife and son were SCUBA diving on Saturday and a great white triggered one of the beacons less than 1 kilometre away. My Mrs dives for a living and she's in the ocean all the time.

My daughters swim at Mullaloo a few times a week too.

PS we don't believe the cull makes the beaches safer, if anything more dangerous as it attracts sharks to the bait.

cresta57

Yep then they learn to associate food with the buoys/barrels & boats. An hour at the back of any prawn trawler will tell you how quick sharks cotton on to a free feed.
I don't eat any big fish, if they've lived around the local bay area for long enough to get big then they are almost certainly a high risk in terms of ciguatera poisoning

rasen78

I wouldn't knowingly take my kids to a high risk beach. And I research it before we visit the beaches so I know. There is plenty of information available about recent sightings and closed beaches etc. You want to do something to minimise the risk? Keep away. It's not rocket science.

A cull is not the answer and as others have said, is a knee jerk reaction which will serve no purpose whatsoever.

Surely the money would be better spent on employing more shark spotters who can raise the alarm when they are around?

chris955

All it will do is lull people into a false sense of security. Its amazing how many people think this will make it safer to swim.

bitzenpces

Along the Perth metro coastline, there are very few beaches that might be called low risk, the coastline is mostly open and unprotected, with many surf beaches. If you followed your reasoning and applied it to Perth, then it would be standing room only at a few small beaches in Trigg and North Beach, with queues miles long of thousands of people waiting their turn for a dip.

It will kill a few large sharks coming in too close to shore. They do need to do more research and a MUCH bigger tagging programme. Also more trials of netting like that recently installed at Coogee.

Would you want your kids at risk of shark attack just because they're at the beach, not miles out, or scuba diving, but just enjoying being at the beach?

chris955

The sea is the sharks territory, they have been there literally millions of years and typically arrogant humans come along and decide the sharks need to go so we can swim in safety. Lets disregard that more people will die choking on a chip at the beach. Humans will be the death of this planet.

bitzenpces

Kids are more important than sharks. It's not arrogance, it's parents protecting their young.