Article posted by Support Our Sharks (09 April 2014)
The Western Australian shark cull policy has been referred to
the
Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act
(EPBC) and the
Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) as the
WA Government is requesting approval for the program to proceed
for another 3 years until 2017.
Despite receiving over
20,000
submissions in March, the Environment Protection Authority
(EPA) chose NOT to assess the policy because they deemed it to
be of ‘very limited duration’ and so ‘will not have a
significant impact on the environment’. This was when the policy
was due to end on April 30th 2014, which has now changed with
the Government asking for approval until 2017.
We need to send a clear message to the EPBC
and the EPA that this policy is environmentally unacceptable and
they should both conduct full assessments of the environmental
impact.
Please make a submission to the
EPBC and the
EPA following the guidelines set out below.
For recommendations on what to include in
your submission see below.
1. Email
your comments opposing the WA drum lines to -
epbc.referrals@environment.gov.au (BEFORE Weds 23rd April).
2. In the
subject bar include the following “Comment on WA drum line
referral – reference no. 2014/7174”
3. In the email include the full title and reference no., which
are as follows:
Title:
WA Department of the Premier and Cabinet/Natural resources
management/off metropolitan & SW coastal regions of Western
Australia/WA/Shark Hazard Mitigation Drum Line Program
Reference no.
2014/7174
1. Follow this
link
to submit a comment (BEFORE
Weds 16 April).
2. Select to '...comment on the
referred proposal’.
3. Fill in your personal details.
4. Tell them that this policy is
‘environmentally unacceptable (API Category B)’.
SUGGESTED COMMENTS/LINKS TO INFO. TO ADD
TO YOUR SUBMISSION:
1. WHITE SHARKS ARE
PROTECTED under WA and Australian environmental laws
and several international agreements including CITES and CMS.
2. WHITE SHARKS ARE APEX
PREDATORS, their roles are vital to keep the health of
the ocean in balance. Removing a migratory apex predator from
our marine ecosystem is likely to have significant impacts on
the species composition and abundance of other marine life.
3. WHITE SHARKS ARE NOT
PRESENT IN WA WHEN DRUM LINES ARE OPERATIONAL. White
sharks are the main target of the policy yet their population’s
peak during June-August each year in WA, which is outside the
proposed drum line operational period of November to April (see
page 13 of DoF report -
http://goo.gl/FbLBXm).
5. WESTERN AUSTRALIAN WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AND FISHERIES MANAGEMENT LEGISLATION DOES NOT PROVIDE EFFECTIVE PROTECTION FOR SHARKS, or adequate regulatory oversight for the proposed cull.
6. THE DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES HAS A CONFLICT OF INTEREST in regulating this cull, either directly or via contractors, as it contradicts their mission statement: 'To conserve, sustainably develop and share the use of the State's aquatic resources and their ecosystems for the benefit of present and future generations'.
7. DRUM LINES ARE
INDISCRIMINANT and will catch and kill other species
including dolphins, turtles and non-target sharks. Almost all of
the sharks caught so far have been non-target, undersized, tiger
sharks. Yet, the WA Government claimed that the drum lines would
only catch large sharks (>3m). Non-target sharks are being
released at the place of capture and will likely be caught again
if they do not die from their injuries.
8. THERE IS NO SCIENTIFIC
EVIDENCE that killing sharks will reduce shark bite
incidents. When shark culling was carried out in Hawaii, between
1959 to 1976, over 4,500 sharks were killed and yet there was no
significant decrease in the number of shark bites recorded -
http://goo.gl/DCIEVw
9. THERE ARE NON-LETHAL
ALTERNATIVES that are proven to be effective at
reducing shark bite incidents. A new approach to shark control
recently trialled in Recife, Brazil, involves capturing,
transporting and releasing large sharks offshore, whilst
providing an opportunity to tag and monitor the individuals
caught. This approach has been extremely effective in reducing
the incidence of shark bites in protected areas but without the
indiscriminate killing of sharks and other marine life -
http://goo.gl/e38Biy
10. THE CURRENT POLICY GOES
SIGNIFICANTLY BEYOND ANY OTHER employed in other areas
of the world. For example, whilst drum lines and gill nets are
used on the east coast of Australia, there is no additional
targeted fishing of large sharks in these areas. In addition, a
WA Government funded report, by Darryl McPhee of Bond
University, into shark control measures found that “due to the
environmental impacts of shark control activities, it is not
recommended that either shark nets or drum-lines be introduced
into Western Australia”.
11. SHARK EXPERTS OPPOSE
THE WA DRUM LINE POLICY -
http://goo.gl/evaEbi
12. OPEN LETTER FROM SCIENTISTS TO WA GOVERNMENT - http://goo.gl/U5xo9r
13. QUEENSLAND’S DRUM
LINES -
http://goo.gl/a02TXR
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