Fishermen furious over new ban targeting illegal shark fishing

A south coast council has launched its latest salvo in the decades-long fight to stop shark fishing at Tathra wharf with a new ban. Some fishermen aren’t impressed.

Local fishermen have taken to social media to express their anger at a new council resolution that aims to strengthen laws targeting illegal shark fishing by banning a popular fishing technique.

At its ordinary session on April 20, the Bega Valley Shire Council unanimously resolved to ban the use of wire traces at Tathra Wharf, stating that without such a technique, shark fishing would be difficult.

Shark fishing at the popular seaside spot has been outlawed since 1996, but according to Councillor David Porter, the prohibited practice continues to be carried out and even shared online.

“Tathra is one of the most popular swimming beaches in our shire, and has been declared unsuitable for shark fishing since the ‘90s due to concerns for swimmers in the area,” Mr Porter said.

“And yet, still there is a whole social media following where these people who are doing this shark fishing are taking all sorts of precarious pictures and videos and posting them online to boast about their dangerous activities.”

Mr Porter said fishermen sometimes used what is known as a wire trace - a steel wire up to 2 metres long to connect the hook to the fishing line - that prevents the shark from biting through the line when hooked.

The shark is then dragged past a government drumline used to deter sharks, and into the swimming area.

“The Department of Fisheries is trying to keep the sharks out, and there are these fishermen who are dragging sharks into the wharf – making them injured, bloody, and upset – then just throwing them into the water where the swimmers are,” Mr Porter said.

People fish at the Tathra Historic Wharf. Picture: Sean Davey

“This is the practice we are trying to curb, if not stop.”

In 2014, Tathra resident Christine Armstrong, 63, was believed to have been killed by a shark while swimming by the wharf, almost two decades after the prohibition on shark fishing began.

“Her husband was here today to present to us about why we need to strengthen the ban on shark fishing,” Mr Porter said.

In recent years, local residents, business owners, and tourists have become aggravated over the issue while shark fishermen publicly flaunt the laws on social media, according to council documents.

“Regular fisherfolk feel concerned that laws banning their hobby altogether could result from the dangerous acts of a minority and tourist organisations fear another shark attack on a swimmer would damage the reputation of Tathra as a holiday destination,” the documents state.

“At the Tathra Wharf, there is a sign that simply says ‘Shark Fishing is Prohibited’. The only way enforcement can occur is if a fisherman admits he is at the wharf for the purpose of shark fishing, making enforcement almost impossible.”

The same day as council heard the proposed motion, residents took to a Facebook fishing group called Tathra Wharf Fishing to express their dismay.

“Be aware out there ladies and gents, the woke culture got into the councillors’ ears. Soon we’ll be banned from fishing,” a post by the group read.

Adam Dowton said: “My god, how the place has gone to the dogs. The wharf is a fishing platform, do you think sharks come because of a small bait?

“No, sharks can detect movement from fish or swimmers from well over a kilometre away. This does absolutely nothing and council has eliminated a lot of top fishing spots out the front of the wharf off the rocks so thanks a lot to all the whinging Karens.”

Scott Thomas Waterson shared concerns that the new ban would target normal fishermen.

“So the tens of thousands of people who use wire traces to target tailor, bonito barracuda, and salmon will be fined?” he asked.

A shark warning sign at Manly Beach after sightings of sharks.

“See what the tourism bodies do when all those fisherpeople start going to other towns to stay and fish.”

Others, like Phen Jones, defended the motion.

“In all fairness, it is a shared space and targeting sharks is not in the interest of swimmers, surfers, snorkellers and other users of the area,” he said.

“There is a huge ocean (and a heap of better locations) to target sharks.

“I have no issue with a ban on trace fishing.”

Mr Porter said the ban was not a catch-all solution for preventing sharks entering the area.

“There will be sharks near the wharf that people may catch on a normal line, that’s not what we’re trying to stop,” he said.

Instead, he believed it brought the council in line with policies found elsewhere in the country.

“The Western Australian Government worked with local councils to ban wire traces on those beaches, and South Australia has followed suit on the areas where they have a lot of sharks,” he said.

The motion passed without opposition.