Large tiger shark shot and killed off Perth beach in Australia
The first killing of a tiger shark as part of the West Australian government's cull policy took place on Thursday morning in Perth.
The tiger shark, described as "very large", was reported to be up to 3.5 metres long. It was caught on a drum line off Mullaloo and shot at around 9.45am.
According to WA Today, under the policy, any bull, tiger, or great white shark longer than three metres caught by contractors or fisheries within "kill zones" one kilometre off the coast will be shot and discarded at sea.
But animal activists have blasted the move with one, Blair Ranford, writing about Thursday's kill on Facebook.
According to Perth Now, he said: "They towed it for about 10 minutes out to sea. It was tangled up in the lines and still alive.
"They then pulled up and shot it in the head. I can't confirm how many shots were fired."
The Environmental Protection Agency this week published information about the expected environmental impacts of the new drum lines.
A document prepared by Fisheries executive director of research, Rick Fletcher, said the amount of tiger sharks expected to be caught during the trial period was expected to have "an insignificant impact on this population."
The research suggested about 10 to 20 tiger sharks would probably be killed while the kill-zones were operational during the three-month trial, which ends in April.
Many Australians have voiced their opposition to the cull policy, with thousands taking to beaches to protest the move over recent weeks.
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