❓ Hon Jon Ford questions the Minister for Fisheries regarding shark attacks, specifically concerning great white sharks and the potential impact of lifting their protected status. The Minister acknowledges uncertainty and awaits scientific advice.
AnsweredQoN 497Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
SHARK ATTACKS
497. Hon JON FORD to the Minister for Fisheries:
My question is without notice.
(1) In Australia, what shark species is most responsible for
attacks on humans?
(2) Does the
minister believe that lifting the protection afforded to great white sharks
will result in fewer shark attacks on humans in Western Australia?
(3) If yes to (2), on what evidence is that view based?
497. Hon JON FORD to the Minister for Fisheries:
My question is without notice.
(1) In Australia, what shark species is most responsible for
attacks on humans?
(2) Does the
minister believe that lifting the protection afforded to great white sharks
will result in fewer shark attacks on humans in Western Australia?
(3) If yes to (2), on what evidence is that view based?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question.
(1) I do not
know for absolute certain that the great white is the shark species that causes
most fatalities, but anecdotally that would seem to be the case. Certainly in
respect to the most recent fatalities in Western Australia, the evidence would
suggest that the sharks were in fact great whites or white pointers or white
sharks—a whole range of names are used for that particular species of
shark.
(2) The second
question relates to the number of sharks that may well be there, bearing in
mind that it is a protected species and has been protected in Western Australia
since the 1990s. I do not know whether there has been an increase. I have asked
the Department of Fisheries' research branch to inform me of its views
on that. I have yet to receive a response; however, as the member would be
aware, technically the Western Australian government has responsibility only
for state waters, which is three nautical miles out to sea. I have written to
the federal Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and
Communities, Tony Burke, asking whether he could provide me with any advice the
federal government may have in respect to shark numbers in commonwealth waters.
He has been very cooperative and is going to provide that advice as soon as it
is provided to him. Bearing in mind that these sharks have been protected for
that period of time, it is conceivable that the numbers have increased quite
significantly. But, on the other hand, there is no evidence I have yet to
demonstrate that that is correct. It is logical, however, that when we have a
ban on catching sharks or any species of marine creature, they may in fact
increase significantly in numbers; a classic case of that is that the number of
whales going up and down the Western Australian coast has increased
significantly since the ban on whaling. It is similar with seals; there has
been a significant increase in the number of seals off the coast of Western
Australia.
(3) I think the
member's third question was —
Hon Jon Ford : I think you have answered the third
question, which was the evidence that you would base your view on.
Hon NORMAN MOORE : I do not have any evidence to base
a view on one way or the other; I do not have a view on that issue. I am
waiting to be told by the scientists what they see to be the situation with
respect to those sharks. As soon as I know that, it will help us decide what we
are going to do about those sharks in the future.
(1) I do not
know for absolute certain that the great white is the shark species that causes
most fatalities, but anecdotally that would seem to be the case. Certainly in
respect to the most recent fatalities in Western Australia, the evidence would
suggest that the sharks were in fact great whites or white pointers or white
sharks—a whole range of names are used for that particular species of
shark.
(2) The second
question relates to the number of sharks that may well be there, bearing in
mind that it is a protected species and has been protected in Western Australia
since the 1990s. I do not know whether there has been an increase. I have asked
the Department of Fisheries' research branch to inform me of its views
on that. I have yet to receive a response; however, as the member would be
aware, technically the Western Australian government has responsibility only
for state waters, which is three nautical miles out to sea. I have written to
the federal Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and
Communities, Tony Burke, asking whether he could provide me with any advice the
federal government may have in respect to shark numbers in commonwealth waters.
He has been very cooperative and is going to provide that advice as soon as it
is provided to him. Bearing in mind that these sharks have been protected for
that period of time, it is conceivable that the numbers have increased quite
significantly. But, on the other hand, there is no evidence I have yet to
demonstrate that that is correct. It is logical, however, that when we have a
ban on catching sharks or any species of marine creature, they may in fact
increase significantly in numbers; a classic case of that is that the number of
whales going up and down the Western Australian coast has increased
significantly since the ban on whaling. It is similar with seals; there has
been a significant increase in the number of seals off the coast of Western
Australia.
(3) I think the
member's third question was —
Hon Jon Ford : I think you have answered the third
question, which was the evidence that you would base your view on.
Hon NORMAN MOORE : I do not have any evidence to base
a view on one way or the other; I do not have a view on that issue. I am
waiting to be told by the scientists what they see to be the situation with
respect to those sharks. As soon as I know that, it will help us decide what we
are going to do about those sharks in the future.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.