Ali Be

Just as many older generations seem convinced that “kids these days” are somehow worse than the generation prior to them, many proponents on the commercial fishing side have long repeated another familiar refrain: that shark populations are “out of control”, “in plague proportions”, or in many cases “a menace”. Like the timeless complaints about youth, the tone often suggests a new crisis, an unprecedented surge in sharks threatening swimmers or fisheries. But history tells a very different...

The release of Queensland’s drone trial report last year marks a turning point in the shark safety debate. The report provides clear evidence that drones are a priceless beach safety tool, not only excelling at spotting sharks, but also beachgoers in distress. The raw data behind the report however also gave us new damning evidence regarding the lack of effectiveness of shark nets. We can now finally move beyond speculation, and examine verifiable evidence regarding the efficacy, or lack...

For decades, the New South Wales and Queensland Governments have run lethal shark-control programs under the banner of ‘beachgoer safety’, despite clear evidence that culling does nothing to reduce shark-bite risk . The continuation of these programs is seemingly only to protect politicians from media backlash, not to protect beachgoers from sharks. Thousands of animals are killed annually, and millions of people given a false sense of security, for the political comfort of a handful of...