Hello everyone.

I am launching this petition on behalf of my 11-year-old daughter, who is a marine biologist in training and deeply cares about sharks. She wants to protect our oceans for her generation and the future. She loves the beach, but she knows we can keep swimmers safe without killing sharks and destroying marine life. Adults have been using the same destructive shark nets since before I was born, and it is time for a change driven by modern science.

Every time a rare shark encounter occurs on our coastlines, a predictable and destructive script unfolds: public fear peaks, and governments issue reactive "catch-and-kill" orders. Ocean safety should be driven by science, not by revenge.
 
The Shocking Truth About the Numbers
Decades of scientific data prove that lethal culling does not prevent shark bites. Instead, it creates a false sense of security while inflicting catastrophic damage on our ecosystems:
🦈 100+ Sharks Killed Per Attack: In Australia, government nets and drumlines kill roughly 100 to 120 sharks for every single shark bite that occurs.
 Mass Bystander Casualties: These lethal nets and hooks are indiscriminate killers. Every year, hundreds of non-target species—including humpback whales, dolphins, critically endangered sea turtles, and harmless rays—are tangled, drowned, and killed.
Ecosystem Destruction: Sharks are apex predators crucial to ocean health. Removing them triggers a collapse in fish stocks and disrupts marine biodiversity.
⚠️ Attracting Danger: Leaving dead or dying marine life trapped in near-shore nets can actually attract larger sharks closer to popular swimming beaches.
 
The Solution: A Smarter Way Forward 
 
We do not have to choose between human safety and marine conservation. Modern, non-lethal technologies protect swimmers far more effectively than an outdated net ever will:
Drone Surveillance: Expanding drone patrols to spot sharks early, warn swimmers, and temporarily close beaches.
SMART Drumlines: Non-lethal interceptors that alert scientists immediately when a shark is hooked, allowing them to tag and relocate the animal safely out to sea.
Public Education & Deterrents: Investing in community "SharkSmart" education and subsidising personal, scientifically validated electronic shark deterrents for surfers and divers.
 
 Please sign this petition!