Minister issues 'unusual' catch-and-kill order for shark after fatal attack
WA's fisheries minister has ruled out a widespread shark cull after a swimmer was fatally attacked by a great white at a beach in Perth's northern suburbs.
Fisheries Minister Jackie Jarvis has instead authorised for the great white to be captured and killed.
The minister has flagged increasing the use of drones and tagging to protect beachgoers.
Western Australia's fisheries minister has taken the unusual step of issuing a catch-and-kill order for a great white that fatally attacked a swimmer at a beach in Perth's northern suburbs on Friday.
Fisheries Minister Jackie Jarvis, however, has ruled out a widespread shark cull.
The search continued this morning for the great white, which killed the 63-year-old man close to the Sorrento Beach shoreline yesterday morning in front of shocked onlookers.
Beaches across Perth's northern suburbs remain closed today as emergency services continue their search for the man's body.
The victim's grief-stricken family visited the beach earlier today, as locals paid their respects with a floral tribute at the site.
Ms Jarvis said she took the "extraordinary step" of giving authorisation for the shark to be captured and killed after it was positively identified as the animal involved in the attack.
"In making that decision, I considered the exceptional circumstances of the attack, the hazard posed by the shark, and the potential recovery of coronial evidence," she said.
She said capture gear, which is essentially a type of drum line that is normally used to tag sharks, was deployed yesterday in an effort to catch the untagged great white.
The gear could not be set up today, however, due to unfavourable weather conditions and choppy waters.
Ms Jarvis believed it was the first time in 10 years that a catch-and-kill order had been issued in WA, but said a widespread cull of white sharks was "not appropriate in these circumstances".
"This is not the return to the idea that we would cull all apex predators in the ocean.
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