Just weeks after Eyre Peninsula’s second fatal shark attack this year, the 2023 Global Shark Conference held a workshop titled ‘Conserve, Cull, Compromise: The white shark conundrum’.
The workshop comprised researchers, scientists and government representatives who work with great white sharks around the globe, as well as different industry members.
The workshop aimed to gather information for the different arguments around how to manage white shark populations.
The argument for conservation centred around the importance of healthy ocean ecosystems, the positive influence great whites have on the marine environment and the necessity for people to think as custodians for the species.
Some arguments for culling included the knock-on effects that shark incidents can have on local economies, public safety and other possible benefits of selective culling.
The argument for compromise began with increasing understanding of great white shark conflicts being a human conflict as a community grappled with the decision to cull, conserve or find other alternatives to manage situations, usually after an incident.
The group also delved into ways in which communities could discover ways to compromise, through community engagement, education, stakeholder engagement, mitigation measures and adaptive management strategies.
Great white sharks are protected in South Australian Waters under Section 71 of the Fisheries Management Act 2007.
The act states a person must not take, harm or harass a white shark and the sale, purchase and possession of white shark or its parts is also illegal.
Fatal shark attacks have occurred at Elliston and near Streaky Bay this year.
New South Wales and Queensland governments have been trialling new ways to track and deter great whites from public beaches, including smart drum lines and helicopter detection.
Some places are even utilising drones operated by drone pilots that work with surf life saving clubs.
The takeaways from the workshop were to help build a manuscript that posed the question – how could humans strike a balance between conservation of great white sharks and human interests in a changing world?
