Tourism industry calling for open discussion on new measures to prevent shark attacks
Queensland's strong tourism brand could be impacted if nothing is done to better protect visitors and locals from shark attacks.
That is the message from industry leaders, who are asking for an open conversation but stopping short of calling for a cull.
The state's shark management program is currently under review, amid two recent fatal shark attacks and another incident at Tangalooma last week, where a man was left with injuries after being bitten.
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Queensland tourism leaders are calling for more shark controls. Nine
Daniel Gschwind from the Griffith Institute for Tourism said safety is the "primary concern" for operators.
"We are concerned for our customers, we do have a duty of care to them so it's absolutely paramount that we don't have these incidents which are always tragic," he said.
"We must talk about it - we have to balance the visitor safety concerns with care for the environment of course.
"We can do things with the latest technology that offer solutions that minimise risk, that's what we should focus on - drones, shark deterrents that are in the water other than shark nets, other than traditional drumlines, there are other things that are advancing quite fast."
Drumlines along Queensland's coast caught 1498 sharks in 2024.
In the last five years, drumlines have snagged 5076 sharks and inadvertently a further 767 other animals, including turtles.
READ MORE: Radio host axed after 'outrageous' on-air Matildas rant
Queensland tourism leaders calling for more shark controls Nine
Andre Borell from Envoy Foundation said other jurisdictions that tried culling eventually abandoned it.
"They tried one in Hawaii, abandoned it because it didn't do anything," he said.
"Western Australia obviously tried one in 2014, abandoned it in 2014 because of public pressure and it wasn't working.
"Shark culls are a blunt instrument and a terrible idea."
"NSW, it still has faults with its program but it is absolute light-years ahead of Queensland.
"They've got a huge fleet of drones with eyes on pretty much every beach. They're working really closely with surf lifesaving down there."
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