Once Protected, Now Hunted, The Dangerous Great White Shark

Authorities will hunt and kill great white sharks which pose a threat to swimmers along Australia’s western Indian Ocean coastline under a new plan to protect beachgoers after five deadly attacks in the past year. A device called a drum line will be used to catch the shark: It is made up of a drum that has two lines attached to it, one of which is secured to an anchor on the sea bed and the other has a hook with bait on it. Australian fisheries Minister Norman Moore explained the device: "You seek to try and catch the shark on the hook. Once that happens, in the event you're successful, the shark is then left to drown, We'll be looking at things like where is the shark located, which direction is it heading, what is its location in respect to a popular beach," Great white sharks have been a protected species in Australian waters for more than a decade but the latest spate of great white sharks in Western Australian beaches have prompted the government to allow pre-emptive hunts. Western Australia has recorded only 12 shark fatalities over the past 100 years, but five of those deaths have happened over the past year. The plan will allow authorities to catch and kill a shark if it is found close to beachgoers. Sharks could previously only be hunted if there had already been an attack on a swimmer.