Devices designed to avoid the killing of sharks by catching and releasing them elsewhere would not work along Queensland's Great Barrier Reef, a report says.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
So-called SMART drumlines would be impractical in much of Queensland's northern waters because intended release points further offshore are frequented by swimmers or other water users, according to the report.
The findings from the independent report come after the government lost a Federal Court appeal for the right to use baited hooks to catch and shoot dead 19 shark species on the world's largest coral reef.
The protection measures have since been taken from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, but the court decision does not effect other areas in the state like the Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast.
The report said SMART drumlines, which have been trialled in NSW and Western Australia, moved sharks caught on the hooks away from beachgoers further offshore.
But it found this method wouldn't work in the Great Barrier Reef region because its offshore areas included islands and coral reefs that are frequented by swimmers.
The review also found that physical barriers for swimming enclosures may work in the area due a lack of ocean swell.
Catching and releasing sharks was also identified as a challenge.
The report into Queensland's shark control program was released on Thursday, as part of the $1 million in annual government funding to trial alternative shark safety measures.
In a statement accompanying the report's release, Fisheries Minister Mark Furner called on the federal government to make new laws to get around court decisions which meant the government could no longer kill sharks in the Marine Park.
"This report makes it absolutely clear - the Federal Government needs to change course and legislate immediately to allow our long-standing catch-and-remove shark control program back in to the Marine Park," Mr Furner said.
Australian Associated Press
