Ballina MP Tamara Smith has rejected calls for a shark cull following an attack on a 17-year-old surfer and is instead backing the Shark Spotters program that operates in South Africa.
‘I extend my sympathy to all those who have been affected by shark attacks, especially to Cooper Allen and his family after Monday’s incident at Lighthouse Beach and best wishes for his recovery,’ she said.
Ms Smith said that the Ballina community was well placed and working constructively together to find models of shark mitigation that provided long term, sustainable safety for ocean users and marine life.
She welcomed resistance to shark culls and shark mesh nets from the NSW Government in the Ballina region.
‘Although people may see culling and meshing as a quick fix, culling does not prevent shark attacks from occurring and installing a shark net in our region would very likely lead to large numbers of dolphin deaths and to even get a net would involve a long legal process,’ she said.
‘I thank the Minister for Primary Industries and the Premier for their temperance around this issue. I will be pursuing with the Minister a feasibility study for shark spotting at Lighthouse Beach.
‘This would give us coverage for seven hours a day for beachgoers and the South African model was ranked number one in the government’s own review of non-lethal shark mitigation strategies.’
‘Lifesaving in Australia in the last century has been an incredibly effective way to keep beachgoers safe with minimal technology. Shark spotting offers us a similar model.’
‘I am appalled at Labor’s blatant political opportunism calling for culls 12 hours after a shark bite and then retracting it 12 hours later.
‘I have asked the Minister for Primary Industries, Niall Blair, to provide funding for shark spotting. I welcome his non-lethal shark technology approach to this issue and I look forward to continue working with Mr Blair and the Department of Primary Industries to find ways to enable the public to feel safe at our beaches.’
Mr Blair, who visited Ballina yesterday, has ruled out a cull.
Instead, he is backing the state government’s drone trials which will launch today at Lighthouse Beach, Lennox Head and Evans Head, after being trialled in other parts of the state, including Byron Bay.
The trials will use private contractors, who are all experienced CASA-certified pilots, to fly the drones from headland vantage points for one house in the morning every Thursday, Friday and Sunday until mid-December.
The drones will fly a 3.5-4km circuit over the ocean at a height of 60m and speed of 40km per hour, with an on-board camera providing real-time vision of coastal waters.
Beach authorities will be advised if a shark is spotted close to people, with an air horn or siren sounded.
Meanwhile, the Humane Society International has called on the government to reject suggestions to extend its shark net program following calls from former Prime Minister Tony Abbott and others for nets to be installed.
‘Shark nets have significant impacts on the marine environment, killing not only target sharks but countless other whales, dolphins, dugongs, turtles, rays and other harmless marine animals,’ HSI’s senior program manager Alexia Wellbelove said.
‘At the same time, nets are not a failsafe means of protecting ocean users. We therefore completely oppose calls to expand NSW’s nets beyond the current 51 beaches and instead call on the NSW Government to continue to consider all other non-lethal options.”
She said HSI was also concerned by calls to have a commercial shark fishery in the Ballina area in response to recent shark bite incidents.
‘It is widely known and understood that shark bites are often tragic but rare events. Simply killing more sharks and removing them from the marine environment does not make it any safer to swim.’
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