INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Second Great White Shark Killed In Bondi Beach Nets

By Dustin Wicksell
Published on: 03:00 PST, Nov 21, 2014

Another great white shark has been killed by the nets surrounding Australia’s Bondi Beach, the second predator to fall victim to the barrier this week.

According to the Australian, spearfisherman Ian Puckeridge spotted the body of the white shark, before leading a news crew to its location. It is estimated that the shark had been killed several days prior to its discovery, as other sea life had begun to devour it.

“It’s quite awesome to see them in the water when they’re alive, not so great when they’re dead and laying on the bottom in a net,” Puckeridge said.

Department of Primary Industries officials told 7news that they would check to confirm the dead shark, before making any attempt to remove its body. Contractors are required to inspect the nets every 72 hours, as long as conditions permit, to determine if any marine life is trapped in them.

Earlier this week, a 2.5 meter great white was caught in Bondi Beach’s nets and killed. As the Inquisitr previously reported, the shark was already dead when it was discovered Wednesday, during a routine patrol of the barrier.

Shark nets are in place around 51 beaches in New South Wales, according to the Daily Mail, and while authorities assert that the program protects upward of two million beachgoers each year, some groups are opposed to their use. Michael Kennedy, director of the Humane Society International Australia, described the shark nets as “cruel,” advocating their removal.

“Groups like ours are totally opposed to shark nets … research recognizes that they are a key threat to a whole range of species… but they are scared of what would happen if they are remove the nets,” he said. “Even people whose sons and parents have been killed in the surf don’t want revenge killings… I think that is the attitude today in Australia.”

Earlier this year, authorities in Western Australia declined to proceed with a proposed shark cull, after the state’s EPA recommended against it, citing an uncertain impact on great whites. A three month trial of the program, which used baited drumlines to capture and kill the predators, proved that the cull disproportionally affected larger sharks, particularly great whites.

[Image via 7news]

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