Shark nets: Gold Coast mayor vows to keep shark nets to protect tourism

Gold Coast civic leaders have vowed to fight any move to remove anti-shark drum lines from local waters, warning it would be “disastrous” for the city’s tourism industry.

MAYOR Tom Tate has warned that if a shock court ruling that has led to removal of anti-shark drum lines from north Queensland waters is applied to the Gold Coast, it will be disastrous for tourism.

“People are getting their priorities in the wrong order. It’s sharks versus human life. You are going overboard and putting sharks ahead,” Cr Tate said yesterday.

“Here on the Coast we have shark nets but a lot of greenies want us to remove them.

My attitude is they are staying, they protect people.

“If you go south to NSW people get bitten. So they work”

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A 3.2-metre-long female great white shark that was caught in a controversial new shark net at Sharpes Beach in Ballina. (AAP Image/NSW Department of Primary Industry)

His comments followed the loss this week of an appeal by the Palaszczuk Government against a court decision putting new restrictions on shark control measures in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which would require any sharks — including dangerous great whites, tigers and bull sharks — caught on drum lines to be released instead of euthanased.

The Government will now remove drum lines from 27 beaches stretching from Cairns to Gladstone, saying to implement the new restrictions would put contractors “in serious peril’’.

The successful challenge against destroying 19 species of sharks caught on the lines in the reef marine park was originally mounted by the Humane Society International.

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A dead Great Hammerhead shark found caught in a shark net off a beach on the Gold Coast. (AAP Image/Sea Shepherd Australia)

The State Government is urging the Federal Government to act and rush through laws to allow euthanasia so human lives are protected. Its attempts to beef-up control measures had followed a spate of attacks — one fatal and two near-fatal — in the Whitsundays.

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Cr Tate said the Gold Coast had to protect swimmers and surfers.

“If you get attacks here the tourists will not want to come to our beaches and enjoy a swim between the flags when in the back of their minds they know they can be attacked,’’ he said.

Destination Gold Coast chairman Paul Donovan said he shared Mayor Tom Tate’s concerns.

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“They can do what they like up north in Cairns. I totally agree with our Mayor’s views on this,” he said.

Opposition tourism spokesman and Broadwater MP David Crisafulli said the industry was built upon safe beaches.

“The Queensland tourism reputation is built on safe beaches and any move to water that down should be resisted lock, stock and barrel,” Mr Crisafulli said.

He said the State Government should keep the drum lines in place while Canberra considered options.

“We need to provide extra resources to keep our swimmers and fisheries staff safe while they comply with the court order,” he said.

A whale caught in the nets off the Coast. Photo: Tweed Gold Coast Dive Charters / Facebook

“It will mean they need to move and release the sharks. It is not ideal but removing the drum lines is disastrous.”

He called on the Federal Government to fast-track new laws.

Surfers Paradise identity and surf club veteran Billy James said he believed the strength of the tourism market on the Gold Coast were partly due to the success locally of drum lines and shark nets, which were introduced in the 1960s. There has not been a shark attack fatality on Gold Coast beaches since.

“My thoughts are always with that sort of thing, you give an inch they will take a mile,” Mr James said.

“So I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a similar push here, but it would never got through.

“In a few years time they will be telling us not to go in the water at all.”