The Administrative Appeals Tribunal has ordered the end to the lethal culling of sharks in the Great Barrier Reef on Tuesday.
“The Tribunal has found that the killing of sharks does not reduce the risk of unprovoked shark interactions,” Humane Society International (HSI) posted in their website.
‘Since the 1960s, sharks have been shot dead in the Great Barrier Reef. Today, this has ended,” Lawrence Chlebeck, marine campaigner at HSI, said in a statement. “This is a massive victory for sharks and marine wildlife.”
Therefore, the Tribunal has ordered for the list of 19 target species be ripped up so that sharks can no longer suffer and be killed by a single gunshot. Also, they have ordered that the drumlines, which kills the sharks slowly and painfully, be checked more frequently and if they find a live shark stranded on the drumline, they must be released.
Tiger, bull, and white sharks must also be tagged before they are released off shore. The Tribunal found that tiger sharks and others have suffered enough and have been reduced in its population in the Great Barrier Reef, based from the evidence presented at court.
The full decision of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal is attached below. (Source: HSI Australia)
1. The current permit is to be varied to include a condition requiring the permittee (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority) to carry out the Shark Control Program in a manner that avoids, to the greatest extent possible, the lethal take of shark species;
2. The target shark list is to be removed from the current permit;
3. The current permit is to be varied to ensure that the euthanasia of sharks caught on the drum lines is only to be undertaken on animal welfare grounds, specifically when a shark is unlikely to survive release due to its condition or an injury, or which cannot be safely removed alive due to weather conditions or hooking location;
4. The current permit is to be varied to ensure sharks are attended to as soon as possible when captured on drum lines, preferably within 24 hours;
5. The current permit is to be varied to ensure all tiger, bull and white sharks caught on drum lines are tagged, using best available technology, before being released so that their movements may be monitored and researched;
6. The current permit is to be varied to ensure tagged sharks be relocated off shore, where possible, and not at site of capture;
7. The current permit is to be varied to ensure SMART drum lines are trialled and implemented on a progressive basis as soon a reasonably possible.
8. The current permit is to be varied to include a condition that requires research to be conducted into alternative non-lethal shark control measures; and
9. The current permit is to be varied to include a condition requiring research be conducted into the tiger shark population.
