Queensland murderous shark control program kills over 500 sharks per year
Since 1962 the region of Queensland, Australia has been using drumlines for its “shark control program”. These kill 80% of sharks caught on them, accounting for approximately 500 shark culls each year. The vast majority of the species of sharks caught have never attacked humans eg. wobegongs, blacktips, nurse sharks. The use of drumlines has been considered inhumane and ineffective. Is it mostly attracting sharks to the coasts, before it catches them?
Two years ago, a ruling by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal required the control program to avoid "to the greatest extent possible, the lethal take of shark species"—ending the needless culling practice. The ruling also encouraged the trial of SMART drumlines instead. These would alert auhorities when a shark was caught for it to be tagged and then released further from the coast.
A recent analysis by HSI found that although its been two years since the ruling, mortality rates had dropped only by 20%—the mortality of smaller species remains very high, and smart drumlines are yet to be seen.
Of the 178 sharks caught in the marine park between February and December 2020, only 41 were released alive, it found.
What are drumlines and how do they work?
Drumlines are underwater shark traps, where 500g of bait fish are placed on a hook to attract nearby sharks, then the hook
Smart Drumlines:
By winter of 2021 the government hopes to implement smart drumlines, that would use GPS transponders to alert fisheries when a shark has been caught, increasing the chances of a live release.
Why not ditch drumlines all together?
Humans kill 100 million sharks per year. Our apex predator is in danger of extinction. Tagging large sharks and having a live monitor on their whereabouts is a lot safer both for humans and sharks—also lest we forget that you have a higher chance of being killed by a cow or a coconut than by a shark attack. Without sharks marine ecosystems would collapse—making the planet a very unhealthy place to live on considering the ocean produces 1/3 of every breath we take.
Perhaps the government of Queensland should save its money and let sharks roam freely?
