Environment News 1.9.14 Part I: At Last Some Sense Being Shown Re WAs Ridiculous Shark Cull - and, Oh I am not Biased .... In an interesting turnaround, the Western Australian EPA led by chairman, Paul Vogel, has just advised Colin Barnett’s government not to extend the state’s controversial catch and kill shark policy via the deployment of drum lines off WA’s beaches and amazingly Barnett’s government is acquiescing to this ruling. This latest decision by the EPA latest stands in stark contrast to its initial ruling on the 13 week trial in March where it refused to even assess the trial on the basis it posed a negligible risk to the species. “The available information and evidence did not provide us with a high level of confidence and, there remains a high degree of scientific uncertainty about the impacts on the viability of the south-western white shark population. Said Vogel who added that the Public Environmental Review committee attracted 6 751 public submissions and 2 petitions with about 25 000 signatures against the cull. The Wilderness Society’s Jenita Enevoldsen welcomed the announcement but urged the government to fulfil its election commitment and pass new Biodiversity Conservation legislation to replace the 1950 Wildlife Conservation Act in WA. WA Greens MP Lyn MacLaren described the EPAs recommendation as common sense adding that the trial cost the Government $1.3 million and that though 68 sharks were caught and shot none of them were great white sharks. Opposition leader Mark McGowan was a little less circumspect saying that the program had embarrassed the state, cost a lot of money and had ultimately failed. Though he obviously disagreed, Barnett said that while the State Government would not be appealing the EPA’s decision, the application for drum lines was still before Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt who, apparently, will be looking very carefully at the EPAs report, the advice of the department, and the thousands of public submissions received. abc.net.au/news/2014-09-11/wa-dumps-shark-drum-lines-after-epa-review/5737526
Posted on: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 20:51:21 +0000
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