'Intest punch': the expert of upper sharks leaves the Queensland advisory panel after the LNP extends the abandonment program | Queensland

One of the main Australian researchers of sharks has resigned from his position of almost eight years to advise the Queensland shark control program, because the members of this scientific working group say that they were “shocked” and set aside by the statement of the government of the State to extend deadly control of sharks.

Announcing a overhaul of the dollar 88 million shark management plan that would see shark nets and baitted drum lines designed to kill species of target sharks deployed on more beaches, and the existing drum lines used more intensely, the Minister of the Main Industries, Tony Perrett, said this week that the liberal Liberal Party strategy was supported research.

“I have said many and many times; the best science must inform our actions in terms of fishing,” said Perrett on Sunday.

But the expansion of the abandonment of state sharks was criticized by conservation groups such as the Australian Marine Conservation Society as an “outdated” and “non -scientific” approach which “does nothing to improve the safety of the beaches”.

In the midst of the noisy reaction this week, the Marine Simpfendorfer Marine Sciences teacher quietly resigned from the scientific working group in Perrett.

SimpFendorfer was a member of the advisory body since its creation in 2017 and is considered one of the main experts in the country's sharks, having been The co -chair of the International Union for the Conservation of the Shark Species Survival Commission (SSC). He refused to comment.

Speaking under the cover of anonymity, however, several members of the working group declared that they had advised the expansion of deadly control and were not informed of the LNP plans to do so until they are announced.

“Everyone was shocked and everyone was quite upset that there was no consultation,” said a member of the working group.

“We were told that there was something to come and that it was postponed and postponed and postponed. We had somehow the feeling that it was going to be bad … But it was a punch.”

The scientist and militant of AMCS sharks, Dr Leonardo Guida, said that SimpFendorfer was “unequivocal” the most renowned and respected shark scientist in Australia.

“I do not think that anyone would dispute the fact that Colin is, not only the scientist of the best and most respected sharks in Australia, but even on a global scale, he is up there at the top,” he said.

Guida said he would like to sincerely thank SimpFendorfer for his expertise and his service in the “very difficult role” to provide scientific advice to “which is essentially a marine slaughter of sharks sanctioned by the State”.

“As for what his resignation says, only a question of days after the announcement of Queensland to extend the slaughter of sharks, my interpretation of this would be that the government of Queensland made a decision which no longer corresponds to the advice and scientific recommendations,” said Guida.

“Whether it's a clear gap of scientific advice itself”.

Change of “philosophy”

Several sources have said that during its almost eight years, the working group had managed to do “more science in decision -making” around the management of sharks in Queensland and to go from deadly control to non -lethal – but the announcement on Sunday marked a “philosophical” change of the summit.

Some have attributed the transition to pressure from commercial and recreational fishermen who declare more and more fish withdrawn from their lines by sharks. Many scientists agree that this behavior – known as shark depredation – is increasing in many places in the world, although none is pronounced for this article, believes that a shark approach will have an impact on depredation rates, nor improves the safety of swimmers.

Others declared that the decision was partly a reaction to a certain number of recent shark bites in Queensland, including the one who killed the Savior of 17 -year -old surfing life Charlize Zmuda while swimming in a beach in Bribie Island in February, and what killed the pastor of young Luke Walford, who was spearfalling in the islands of Keppel Bay. Bribie Island has bait battery lines, while the Keppel Islands do not do so.

The scientist of sharks and the director of the award-winning submarine photography Richard Fitzpatrick, who has been part of the scientific working group since its creation, said that media reports on deadly sharks may also have contributed to the expansion of the deadly control measures.

“The media hysteria in Australia is one of the biggest problems with the whole shark problem,” he said “imagine if it had been reported at the same level that we are doing with the deaths of the car”.

Fitzpatrick said that the expansion of the deadly shark measures had “definitively” made him consider his position on the working group, but said that, in the end, working with the government had allowed scientists to continue essential research on monitoring and movement of sharks.

The government shark control plan, he said, was a survey of shark populations which would be “essential”, “would not be cheap” and “must be done correctly”.

“We did not have an assessment of stocks on the target species of Queensland correctly,” he said. “Doing it is absolutely critical now”.

“In the end, our approach is to do the best possible research.”

However, whether the research sheds light on decision -making or not is a prerogative of a minister.

The main Minister of Industries said he was held to his comments that the shark control plan was supported by science following the resignation of SimpFendorfer.

“The Crisafulli government does not apologize for reaffirming the objective of the 2025-2029 Shark control plan to prioritize people above all,” said Perrett.

The minister said the research showed and A recent KPMG report Confirmed that “traditional methods (nets and drum lines) are always the most effective way to protect swimmers”.

“Until new technology is scientifically proven to protect beach lovers that traditional methods, we will continue to invest in what protects Queenslanders and our beaches,” he said.

The Prime Minister of Queensland, David Crisafulli, defended the policy of his government on Sunday – but did not answer the question of whether the scientific working group of the shark control program had advised.

He said that the Queensland shark program – including battery lines – had proven to be effective for half a century.

“There is a way to continue using new technologies to ensure that we can find a balance, but … for the good of our tourism industry, for the good of Queenslanders of everyday, we must make sure to continue to strengthen these defenses,” he said.