A great white shark is being hunted for destruction after a fatal attack at Perth’s Sorrento Beach, reigniting an old and uncomfortable question in Australia: when a shark kills, should the shark be killed?
Sixty-three-year-old Greg O’Neill was swimming near the shoreline on Friday when he was attacked. Witnesses reported seeing blood in the water, while O’Neill’s family has described him as a devoted family man and ocean lover. Beaches across Perth’s northern suburbs were subsequently closed.
Western Australia Fisheries Minister Jackie Jarvis issued an unusual catch-and-kill order for the great white believed to be responsible. Authorities have deployed capture equipment, essentially a form of drumline, to try to locate the shark. Jarvis said the decision was based on the exceptional circumstances of the attack, the perceived ongoing hazard and the potential recovery of coronial evidence.
Marine scientists have previously warned that culling does not necessarily reduce the risk of attacks because great whites are highly mobile and can travel vast distances. One shark expert said the chances of finding the particular shark responsible for O’Neill’s death were “slim to none”, comparing the search to finding a needle in a haystack.
Great whites are also protected in Australian waters, making deliberate killing an exceptional measure rather than routine shark management.
The tragedy has understandably left the Perth community shaken. But turning one animal into a target risks confusing grief with effective conservation.
