Western Australia orders search and possible killing of shark after fatal attack

Authorities in Western Australia have ordered the capture and possible killing of a great white shark believed to have killed swimmer Greg O’Neill at Perth’s Sorrento Beach. Beaches along the coast, including in Perth, are closed until at least Sunday while police, helicopters and fisheries officers search for the shark and O’Neill’s body.

Authorities in Western Australia have issued a rare catch-and-kill order for a great white shark after a swimmer was killed at Sorrento Beach in Perth on Friday. The swimmer, identified by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation as 63-year-old Greg O’Neill, has not been found, and the search for his body and the shark is continuing.

Beaches along the state’s coast, including those in Perth, are closed as a precaution. Authorities in the Joondalup area said closures would remain in place until at least midday on Sunday. Police boats and a helicopter were shown patrolling the coastline on Saturday, while officials said drones and tagging would be used more extensively to help protect beachgoers.

Western Australia Fisheries Minister Jackie Jarvis said she took the “extraordinary step” of authorising the order after water police spotted a shark on Saturday morning and “positively identified” it as the animal involved in the attack. Fisheries officers may “destroy the shark” if they can capture it, she said, citing the exceptional circumstances and the danger it poses.

Jarvis said the order was not a broad cull and was believed to be the first of its kind issued in Western Australia in 10 years. Great white sharks are protected species in Australia, and such measures remain controversial. A previous state-authorised cull in 2014 prompted months of large protests after a series of attacks.

Witnesses described a violent incident in the water. Jacqui Rapaic told the ABC that two men had been swimming but only one returned to shore, while another witness told WAtoday she saw the swimmer being attacked. Members of the public reported seeing a shark about 2.5 metres long around the same time.

The attack was the second in Western Australia this week and the third fatal shark attack in the state this year, according to the source. On Monday, a 56-year-old surfer was bitten near Geraldton and survived, although another surfer told the ABC he lost part of his leg. The source said there have been five fatal shark attacks in Australia this year.