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THEY’RE A safeguarded species but after a recent spate of attacks and numbers “going through the roof” calls are growing for great whites to be taken off the protected list.
Despite nine shark attacks across the state in the past year alone, including six between Ballina and Byron Bay on the State’s North Coast, the plan put in place to protect the deep sea killer is not scheduled for review until 2018.
The lack of action has left fishermen and board riders perplexed.
Ballina fisherman David Woods used to hunt great white sharks before they were protected in 1998 and said numbers were now booming.
“I’ve been fishing for 40 years. Ten years ago, you’d be lucky to see one, maybe you’d see one every four to five years. What changed? They got protected,” Mr Woods said.
“They’ve come back with a vengeance but the Fisheries (NSW Department of Primary Industries) won’t admit it.”
Don Munro, president of the Le-Ba (Lennox-Ballina) board riders, called for an immediate review of the protection plan.
“I know the numbers are increasing and they are no longer an endangered species. That protection order has to be reviewed and soon,” Mr Munro said.