Focus question: To cull or not to cull great white sharks
Great white sharks are the biggest predatory fish in the ocean and they can grow to about 15 feet in size, although larger than 20 feet have been seen. Their name comes from the white underbellies of the sharks and their bodies are designed to blend in with the seabed. The great whites have powerful tails which makes them excellent swimmers that can travel up to 24 km/h. They have many rows of triangular shaped teeth and have a great sense of smell and even their body can sense electromagnetic fields produced by animals. They mainly eat sea lions, small toothed whales and sea turtles. These sharks can be found in cold coastal waters around the world, scientists are not sure how many
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This allows them to shoot and kill sharks greater than 3m in length that are found on the baited hooks placed on the traps known as “Drum lines”. Drum lines were placed along 7 popular Western Australian beaches between January and April. When there’s a ‘high hazard’ shark that is said to be near popular beaches authorities can kill the shark. Under the cull policy 170 sharks have been caught on the drum lines in Western Australia.
After much debate the EPA ( Environmental Protection Authority ) did not review the WA’s policy for using drum lines to kill the sharks but the WA had fought back and asked if the drum lines could be used only when there was an emergency, this was granted.
While shark encounters do occur, they are actually extremely rare—despite the extensive media coverage they usually receive. The chances of being killed by a shark are lower than the chances of being attacked by a domestic dog. Before killing sharks, the Australian government should take into consideration the fact that sharks are endangered. About 73 million are killed each year and in Australia, over 90% of shark populations– including great whites – have been