Queensland’s fisheries minister, Bill Byrne, has defended a shark protection program that caught and killed 621 sharks between July 2014 and June 2015.
He said the program had bipartisan support and focused on sharks that could injure or kill swimmers.
The minister maintained the program was not a cull because it wasn’t designed to decrease the local shark population. “The program is purely designed to catch sharks that are in the vicinity of popular beaches,” he said.
Byrne added that sea creatures accidentally caught under the shark protection program would be documented online. His department would document bycatch found in nets and drum lines on its website.
“As part of our commitment to open and consultative government this information will now be readily available,” he told a budget estimates hearing on Wednesday.
Of the 621 sharks caught, there were: 251 tiger sharks, 173 whaler sharks, 111 bull sharks and eight great whites.
Australian Associated Press contributed to this report
