Queensland (QLD) and New South Wales (NSW) Governments are responsible for the longest-running marine cull in history.

Together via the use of shark nets and baited drumlines (large fishing hooks), over 100,000 sharks other marine animals have been killed. These tactics and methods are cruel, outdated, and have been proved time and again not to protect swimmers and surfers. 

These archaic and ineffective methods pose a huge risk — not only to endangered shark populations — but also to whales, dolphins, turtles, dugongs, and many other wildlife species.

Even the swimmers and surfers these programs are designed to 'protect' are put at risk by them, by not just allowing these beachgoers a false sense of security, but also by attracting large sharks to predate on dead and dying hooked or entangled animals.

We demand decision-makers at all levels stop killing sharks and other marine life, and to modernise shark bite mitigation in Australia. We specifically call for:

1. The NSW and QLD Governments need to immediately remove shark nets and catch-and-kill drumlines from their waters, and move to deploy modern non-lethal technologies. 
2. The Australian Government needs to immediately close the 43B loophole in the EPBC Act that allows the culling of protected species at the hands of QLD and NSW Governments, without any formal approvals. 

Shark nets and catch-and-kill drumlines are a beach safety approach from a bygone era. These fishing devices aim to reduce shark incidents by destroying the local shark population.

In 1937 (NSW program commencement) or even 1962 (QLD program commencement), we can forgive how decision makers may have thought this to have been a logical approach. At the time, we had no idea how migratory Great White, Bull, or Tiger sharks were. It was plausible that 'local populations' of these species existed.

We know now, through GPS tracking, genetic sampling, photo ID, and a variety of other scientific methods that this is not the case. They are highly migratory and rarely spend more than a day, maximum two, in any one place. This fact alone, makes the fishing approach of shark nets and drumlines to "fish down local populations" non-sensical and one that must cease.

It is time that the Government stops lying to its citizens and tourists, and instead provides education on how to safely enjoy our oceans, without slaughtering the wildlife that calls it home. 

Petition inspired by Envoy: Shark Cull (2021)