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Finally something sensible from the gov.
SHARK tourism - including watching great whites from underwater cages - will be outlawed in the west.
The Sunday Times can reveal that Fisheries Minister Norman Moore will today announce that the State Government is drafting regulations to rule out tourism ventures that attract sharks, amid fears it puts people in danger.
The decision comes after Mr Moore directed the Department of Fisheries to investigate cage diving, following preliminary inquiries from charter operators interested in starting up the thrill-seeking activity.
The research found that WA "did not have any known areas where sharks congregated', like South Australia, where cage diving with great whites is permitted.
It also found there was evidence to suggest that the tourism attraction had the potential to change the animals' behaviour and the risks outweighed any perceived tourism or economic benefits.
Mr Moore said the State Government was not prepared to take the risk after four people were killed by sharks in state waters since September last year.
"(The) lack of such sites in WA may result in operators wanting to maximise berleying and baiting to attract sharks to meet tourist expectations, which may have unwanted consequences," he said.
"CSIRO research at shark-cage diving sites in South Australia found that white sharks in the study area changed their distribution to align with areas of active berleying and, while there was no determination from the study about the longer-term effects on shark behaviour or outside the study area, I would prefer to take no risks until more is known.
"With four fatalities in WA from shark interactions since last September, the Government is not willing to allow any ventures that may raise even greater public fears than already exist."
The development comes as the Department of Fisheries begins consultation with local councils to incorporate warnings about sharks on permanent coastal safety signs.
Shark Response Unit manager Mike Burgess said research had found "two distinct populations" of great whites in Australia one that inhabits WA and South Australian waters, and another on the east coast.
"Through previous tagging studies, white sharks are known to undertake long-distance migrations from South Australia to WA waters as far north as Exmouth and it's possible that fluctuating white-shark abundance in our waters is dependent on environmental cues that drive these migratory patterns back and forth," he said.
"There are no easy answers or solutions as to why sharks bite or to explain the unprecedented cluster of fatal shark bites."
Mr Burgess said the unit was also analysing environmental data to determine "whether there are any particular environmental reasons for these incidents".
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