In the sunny state of Queensland this is the worrying reality. Last Monday a young swimmer was killed by a great white shark. The girl died after being bitten by the shark while she swimming. The teenage girl was about 100 yards off the coast of Bribie Island.
She was swimming in waters near to a popular tourist spot, north of Brisbane, When tragedy struck around 4:45 p. m. local time. She received life-threatening injuries after the shark incident. Her injuries were so severe that despite paramedics doing everything they could she died fast.
Drumlines were installed to control the shark population around the islands. Drumline are basically barrels dropped in the water with a hook or a net with bits of meat on it as lure to attract the sharks. This safety control mechanism is controversial. Some shark species are hooked and then freed to live elsewhere, while others are killed and their carcasses disposed of in conformity with local laws. The locals do not have a huge opinion on it. This is a sensitive subject for those living near the coasts.
This nightmare has hit hard in the past few weeks. First a 28 year old captain drowned off Granites in South Australia. A few days later. A 40 year old pastor lost his life at Keppel Bay while he was fish hunting.
Shark attacks have been steadily increasing over the past two years. This year in 2023 five attacks occurred alone with three being fatal.
This increase has increased the call for action against shark attacks. It is not just Australian sea-goers who are at risk. This year there have been many shark attacks which have been reported globally.
Sharks around the world have been known to attack humans but they are not the monsters the media portray them to be ; they generally attack humans only when they are hungry or feel threatened. Sharks are known to be living in almost every ocean of the world. Although the Australian waters are known for shark attacks and the Australian government has been working on different ways to deal with this issue.
