The recent shark attack at Coogee beach in Sydney has reignited the age-old debate about how to manage the threat posed by great whites. Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's call for a cull, citing that it is 'so wrong' not to cull them after such incidents, has been met with scepticism from leading marine experts.
Emeritus Professor Rob Harcourt, head of Macquarie University's Marine Predator Research Group, dismissed the proposal as 'unscientific', stating that a cull would not significantly alter the risk of shark attacks unless great white sharks were entirely removed from the ocean – an outcome he described as 'unfeasible and an ecological catastrophe'. He characterised such calls as 'kneejerk reactions' not supported by evidence that would genuinely reduce risk.
Professor Culum Brown, also from Macquarie University, echoed these sentiments, describing calls for a cull as a 'naive way of scoring political points', instead advocating for modern approaches to coexistence with nature. The New South Wales Premier, Chris Minns, has ruled out a cull, noting that the great white shark is a protected species and that no expert evidence supports its effectiveness in deterring sharks.
Experts like Professor Harcourt and Dr. Daryl McPhee from Bond University recommend increasing the use of drone technology for beach surveillance as a more effective approach. They argue that drones could provide real-time monitoring, allowing authorities to call people out of the water when sharks are sighted, thereby significantly reducing the likelihood of bites. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has temporarily lifted a ban on drone use for shark surveillance at Coogee beach following the attack.
Dr. McPhee pointed out that shark bite incidents causing injury in New South Wales have seen an increase, from an average of 0.6 per year between 1980 and 1999 to a current rate of 4.16. He attributed this rise partly to increased human populations interacting with coastal waters and growing whale populations, which in turn attract more great white sharks to the coast. Marine biologist Lawrence Chlebeck from Humane World for Animals noted that culls are ineffective due to the migratory nature of sharks, which travel thousands of kilometres, and that baiting for culls could paradoxically increase shark activity and risk.
This debate highlights a broader tension between conservation and public safety in coastal regions. Experts are urging evidence-based strategies over reactive measures, as the discussion underscores the complexities involved in mitigating the risks associated with shark attacks.