Senator Peter Whish-Wilson calls on the upcoming Meeting of Environment Ministers to review lethal shark mitigation measures as a priority agenda item. This comes at the end of a whale migration season that saw an unprecedented number of whales caught in shark nets and as a coalition of NGOs announces a full costing for Queensland to transition from lethal to non-lethal measures.
Spokesperson for Healthy Oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said, "The issue of shark mitigation needs to be a federally coordinated approach that advocates for evidence-based programs and consistency across states.
"That this needs to be a Federal Government-led initiative is no more evident than in our recent whale migration.
"This season, the public whale-watched from coastlines right along the east coast.
"But the whales they watched in some states and on some beaches became entangled in shark nets in Queensland and in New South Wales because of an inconsistent patchwork of shark control measures.
"The fate of our marine life can't be in the crossing of a border.
"Last year, the Meeting of Environment Ministers addressed the negative impact of yabby nets on wildlife in light of platypus deaths.
"In a similar way, the upcoming meeting must address this urgent issue in light of whale entanglement and the deaths of countless endangered marine life in nets and drumlines.
"I chaired a Senate inquiry into shark mitigation in 2017 which recommended a nationally coordinated response, including a national summit and working group.
"There is no evidence that lethal shark control methods make ocean-goers safe.
"Time is up on outdated shark control measures now.
"The Federal Government can lead the way in developing coordinated strategies and facilitating information sharing about effective measures with the aim of ending lethal shark control programs.
"I'm sure those state governments would be grateful for the help in what is a difficult and often highly charged issue."
