Scientists are urging the Queensland government to remove shark nets and traditional drum lines from coastlines, saying “ineffective” lethal methods are inhumane, amid criticism of the state’s use of federal money for measures at the Great Barrier Reef.
Lawrence Chlebeck, a marine biologist at Humane Society International, said Queensland’s lethal shark control program is “failing” on both environmental and public safety fronts and should be “discontinued”.
“Queensland still does not remove shark nets during whale migration season. This is why we see numbers like 15 humpback whales caught in nets last year,” he said, adding that New South Wales makes such removals.
“There are better ways to protect the public and those better ways don’t involve the killing of marine wildlife.”
In 2019, Humane Society International won a legal challenge to stop the state government from using lethal drum lines in the Great Barrier Reef marine park.
The judgment ordered so-called Smart drum lines to be trialled as soon as possible and other non-lethal alternatives be introduced.
Following the decision, the Queensland government launched a non-lethal shark control program in the marine park from September 2021 until January 2023.
The federal government committed $5m towards the program in 2020 – with $1.9m allocated to replace old drum lines with Smart catch-and-alert ones.
But as of 1 December, the Queensland government has only spent $505,000 on replacing the drum lines.
Dr Leonardo Guida, a shark scientist at the Australian Marine Conservation Society, said catch-and-alert drum lines use satellite technology to notify contractors when an animal is caught, allowing them to relocate or release it.
He said the new drum lines were a step in the right direction, as they kill fewer marine animals. However, he believes there are better and cheaper methods available.
“You don’t actually need catch-and-alert drum lines to tag and release sharks. It’s an expensive process,” Guida said. “[Western Australian] fisheries tag and track sharks without needing the drum lines.”
Guida said Queensland has been slow to adopt non-lethal methods, despite the evidence to back them, due to “political cowardice”, adding that shark nets and traditional drum lines were “outdated”.
“In recent memory, there have been two fatal shark bites at beaches [over the past decade] with lethal shark control in Queensland.”
Guida said the state should follow WA’s example and use non-lethal methods, like drones and electronic deterrents, that are more effective.
The Queensland government has allocated $6m over three years towards a drone trial on beaches in the south-east, but Guida says it doesn’t go far enough.
“NSW has been using drones for five years now … Queensland’s drone trial report says they work,” he said.
“I understand the need for trials. But when the results come through, why are we reinventing the wheel while we’re delaying removing shark nets and drum lines and fully implementing a modernised safety solution?”
State Greens MP Michael Berkman said there was no evidence the shark control program has reduced the risk of shark bites.
“The state government has had millions of dollars sitting there for years to comply with the 2019 Administrative Appeals Tribunal decision,” Berkman said.
“They’re still running a lethal shark control program … across Queensland and have only installed catch-alert drum lines at a handful of beaches.
“I want to know what the government is doing with all this money and why they’re refusing to replace nets and drum lines with genuinely non-lethal alternatives like electric deterrents.”
The acting minister for agricultural industry development and fisheries, Scott Stewart, said the government stands by its program.
“Protection of human life will always be the top priority of the shark control program and the Palaszczuk government,” he said.
Stewart said the drum line trial “was never intended to include replacement of all traditional drum lines during the trial period” and results “will be carefully examined before any further rollout is considered”.
“We are investing $1m per year into innovation in the shark control program [including deterrents], but we will not make changes unless we are convinced they will be safe and effective in Queensland conditions.”
