Sorrento Beach and other beaches in Perth’s northern suburbs remained closed on Saturday as authorities searched for a great white shark that fatally attacked a 63-year-old swimmer on Friday morning. Emergency services were also continuing efforts to recover the man’s body.
Fisheries Minister Jackie Jarvis said she had taken the “extraordinary step” of authorising the shark’s capture and killing after it was positively identified as the animal involved. She said the decision reflected the exceptional circumstances of the attack, the danger posed by the shark and the potential recovery of coronial evidence.
Capture equipment, described as a type of drum line normally used to tag sharks, was deployed on Friday to target the untagged shark. The gear could not be set up on Saturday because of unfavourable weather and choppy water, according to the supplied report.
Jarvis ruled out a widespread cull, saying such a measure was not appropriate and noting that white sharks are internationally protected. She also warned that no policy could remove every risk to beachgoers and said the order should not be seen as a return to culling apex predators generally.
The attack was Western Australia’s third fatal shark attack this year, according to ABC News, intensifying debate over the state’s shark-mitigation measures. Existing measures include tagging and tracking, notification applications, warning sirens, shark enclosures and personal deterrents.
Jarvis said the government would review its strategy and was considering increased use of drones to detect sharks along the coastline. She also said tagging could be expanded; more than 300 sharks have been tagged in Western Australia, including 227 white sharks. She said she was willing to discuss restoring a shark enclosure at Sorrento Beach with the City of Joondalup, while all beaches from Marmion to Iluka remained closed pending assessment.