Fears For Swimmer's Safety After Shark Culling Banned On Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is home to thousands of species that are all just trying to live in their peaceful world.

With climate change affecting their ecosystems, that is becoming harder with each year. However there is one group of animals that are being unfairly targeted: sharks.

While there will be loads of people saying 'the only good type of shark is a dead one' because they're worried about being attacked, the ocean is their home.

However, they've just been handed a lifeline by the Federal Court after it ruled against shark culling.

Humane Society International

The Queensland government has been fighting to keep the practice going to ensure tourism stays afloat, as do the people that dive into the ocean. No one wants to go in the water when there's a threat of a shark attack.

However the Court has ordered the state to get rid of the more than 170 baited drum lines along the Reef's 27 beaches from Cairns to Gladstone. A drum line is an unmanned trap used to lure and capture large sharks using baited hooks.

Unsurprisingly, the state government is pissed and worried that it could put swimmer's safety in jeopardy.

Queensland Tourism Minister Kate Jones told Sunrise: "We've had the shark protection programme in place since 1962 and have only seen one death. We know that our shark control works.

"We're appealing for the Federal Government to let us keep in place a system that we know works."

She doubled down when speaking to reporters after the decision was made, calling on the Prime Minister Scott Morrison to intervene in the situation.

tobze/Creative Commons

"I'm sure the prime minister does not want to have blood on his hands through this decision in relation to the federal act," she said.

While the government is worried this could spell the end of people flocking to their shores to lap up the sand, sun and sea; animal welfare activists are thrilled.

Humane Society campaigner Lawrence Chlebeck said: "This is a great day for sharks, the Great Barrier Reef, our oceans, and for Queensland.

"No longer will sharks senselessly die for a misguided sense of security, and now measures will be put in place that can actually reduce the incidence of shark-human interactions.

"With culling well and truly thrown out of court, we now call on the Queensland government to cease the culling of sharks on all of its coast line and to remove all nets and lethal drumlines."

It will be interesting to see whether Scott Morrison is brought in to intervene because he and the Queensland government could be up against some tough competition.

Topics: Community, Animals, Australia, Citizen Reef

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie