Shark Culling in WA
WA Government standing by shark cull despite 4,000-strong protest at Cottesloe Beach
Story from ABC NEWS Updated Mon 6 Jan 2014, 11:54am AEDT
The West Australia Government says it will not be backing down on controversial shark-cull plans, despite a large anti-cull protest at the weekend.
More than 4,000 people gathered at Perth's Cottesloe Beach on Saturday to vent their anger about the plan to use baited lines to kill large sharks off selected swimming beaches.
The cull plan - which the government says will only target sharks over three metres - was announced after seven fatal shark attacks off the WA coast in three years.
WA's acting premier Kim Hames says the Government is not budging.
"We believe the Government is doing the right thing," he said.
"We've had seven people that have lost their lives in our water in the last three years compared to [only 20] over the last 20 years.
"So the numbers have significantly increased in the last three years and we believe the Government had to do something about it."
Environmentalists argue there is overwhelming evidence that killing sharks will not prevent attacks.
"There is going to be other marine life caught in the bait lines, not just sharks and there's going to be sharks under three metres also caught in the bait lines," protest organiser Natalie Banks said on Saturday.
"We are ruining the marine ecosystem."
The deadline for contractors to tender for the culling contract expired at the weekend.
SA has no plans for cull
Meanwhile, both sides of politics in South Australia say they have no plans to implement shark baiting operations in the state's waters.
Acting Environment Minister Leon Bignell says the measures would result in the deaths of other marine life.
"It doesn't make sense. It's indiscriminate slaughter of not only sharks but dolphins and turtles and other animals that get caught up on these hooks," he said.
"There's no logic to it and it's a very scary thing."
Deputy Opposition leader Vickie Chapman says "there is no present justification for consideration of a shark baiting program" in South Australia, but has backed the WA Government's right to make its own decision.
1) What is the message from the protesters pictured on the right?
2) What is culling?
3) When is culling beneficial?
4) Sharks are top order consumers. What does this mean?
5) How do sharks keep the dolphin and sea-lion population healthy?
6) What is the reason for the cull? Is it based on sound ecological reasons?
7) What is the main argument/s of the protesters in the article above?
8) The following comment was taken from the website http://www.visitsealife.com/London/explore-our-creatures/sharks/whyaresharksimportant/
"Sharks eliminate a lot of the competition, meaning a stronger gene pool and a more diverse population of sea creatures will survive. Although for some time it has been thought that removing sharks from the oceans would result in a huge increase in fish population – some scientists now think the opposite would happen; and the existing populations would be wiped out by disease".
Explain what is meant by the comment above.
9) Argue for or against the culling of sharks. Give well researched and detailed explanations.
Worksheet-shark culling criterion D
Continue with kangaroo culling