science

Shark culling

Shark culling is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Shark culling rather than just read about it. In short: Shark culling is the deliberate killing of sharks by government authorities, usually in response to one or more shark attacks. The term "shark control" is often used by governments when referring to culls.

Key takeaways

Shark culling belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Shark culling to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Shark culling from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Shark culling is the deliberate killing of sharks by government authorities, usually in response to one or more shark attacks. The term "shark control" is often used by governments when referring to culls. Shark culling has been criticized by environmentalists, conservationists and animal welfare advocates—they say killing sharks harms the marine ecosystem and is unethical. Government officials often cite public safety (attempting to reduce the risk of shark attacks) as a reason for culling. The impact of culling is also minor compared to bycatch with 50 million sharks caught each year by the commercial fishing industry. Shark culling mainly occurs in four locations: New South Wales, Queensland, KwaZulu-Natal and Réunion.

Methods

Shark nets

Shark nets such as those used in New South Wales are designed to entangle and kill sharks and other animals that pass near them. Christopher Neff, a Ph.D. scholar at the University of Sydney notes, "Internationally, shark nets have been labeled a 'key threatening process' for killing endangered species." He adds:" ... killing endangered species to boost public confidence or to show government action is not workable. It is a disservice to the public."

Drum lines

A drum line is an unmanned aquatic trap used to lure and capture large sharks using baited hooks—some (such as those in Queensland) are designed to kill sharks. Drum lines have been criticized for being environmentally destructive and speciesist, and have sparked public demonstrations and vocal opposition, particularly from environmentalists, animal welfare advocates and ocean activists. Conservationists say killing sharks on drum lines harms the marine ecosystem. In addition, Western Australia Fisheries Minister Dave Kelly said "there is currently no scientific evidence to show that drumlines reduce the risk of a [shark] attack". Shark experts and conservationists also say there is no evidence that drum lines prevent shark attacks.

Current shark culling locations

New South Wales (Australia) The government of New South Wales has a program that deliberately kills sharks using shark nets. They were first installed in 1935. The current net program in New South Wales has been described as being "extremely destructive" to marine life, including sharks. Between September 2017 and April 2018, more than 403 animals were killed in the nets in New South Wales, including 10 critically endangered grey nurse sharks, seven dolphins, seven green sea turtles and 14 great white sharks. Between 1950 and 2008, 352 tiger sharks and 577 great white sharks were killed in the nets in New South Wales. Also during this period, a total of 15,135 marine animals were killed in the nets, including whales, turtles, rays, dolphins, and dugongs. More than 5,000 marine turtles have been caught on the nets. Sixty-five percent of shark attacks in New South Wales occurred at netted beaches. The current net program in New South Wales has been called "outdated and ineffective", and has been criticized by environmentalists, who say nets harm the marine ecosystem. They say there is no science showing that nets make the ocean safer for people. Humane Society International calls the nets a "knee-jerk reaction". The New South Wales government prohibits people from rescuing entangled animals—this prohibition has been called "heartless and cruel". Following 11 shark attacks along the New South Wales north coast between 2014 and 2016, including two fatalities, shark nets and "smart" drum lines were deployed in December 2016 to cover five additional beaches along the New South Wales North Coast in a six-month trial. Five nets were deployed off Seven Mile Beach off Lennox Head; Sharpes, Shelly and Lighthouse beaches off Ballina; and Main Beach at Evans Head. No shark attacks occurred at the netted beaches during the trial, and the trial was continued for the 2017-18 summer. In August 2018, it was announced that the nets in northern New South Wales would be removed, but that the nets in Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong would stay. The New South Wales Green party said they wanted all lethal nets to be removed.

Queensland (Australia) From 1962 to the present, the government of Queensland has targeted and killed sharks in large numbers by using drum lines and shark nets, under a "shark control" program—this program has also killed large numbers of other animals such as Dolphins; it has also killed endangered hammerhead sharks. Queensland currently operates the largest shark culling program in Australia. In the first 11 months of 2013, 633 sharks were captured in Queensland—more than 95% of those sharks were killed. From 2013 to 2014, 667 sharks were killed on Queensland's drum lines and in shark nets, including great white sharks and critically endangered grey nurse sharks. From 2014 to 2015, 621 sharks were killed in Queensland. From 2017 to 2018, 218 sharks were killed, including 75 tiger sharks and 41 bull sharks; at least 64 sharks were shot and killed during this period. From 2001 to 2018, a total of 10,480 sharks were killed on lethal drum lines in Queensland. From 1962 to 2018, roughly 50,000 sharks were killed by Queensland authorities. Afd.org.au stated the following in 2015:

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Shark culling

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Shark culling claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Shark culling before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Shark culling ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Shark culling

In research: Shark culling appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Shark culling in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Shark culling is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Animal culling, Animal rights, Cruelty to animals, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Shark culling outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Shark culling in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Shark culling means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Shark culling out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Shark culling in simple terms?

Why does Shark culling matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Shark culling?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Shark culling.