Shark debate
Popular WA tourist destination bans shark fishing
Fisheries Minister Don Punch banned wire trace within 800 metres of the shore along Perth’s metropolitan coastline in 2023. This regional council has weighed in.
- by Holly Thompson
Latest
Opinion
Sharks
The schoolboy, the actor and the criminal’s severed arm: Sydney’s most famous shark tales
Thankfully, the woman whose leg was mauled on Monday night will survive. Over the centuries, the outcome has been much more horrific.
- by Peter FitzSimons
Shark barrier up on Perth’s Swan River
The barrier at Bicton Baths is about four kilometres from the Fremantle traffic bridge, where 16-year-old Stella Berry was attacked while swimming in February.
- by Aaron Bunch
Opinion
For subscribers
Should we let sharks tell us where to swim this summer?
Shark attacks are on the increase, so we should do whatever is necessary to keep people safe.
- by Brad Emery
Dead sharks left at beaches as bans push fishers further south of Perth
Activists fighting against shark fishing in the Perth metropolitan area are calling on local governments further south to ban the practice.
- by Holly Thompson
WA government eyes shark hunting restrictions after campaigner threat
Acting fisheries minister Reece Whitby has labelled those who made the threat as knuckleheads, and urged people to report illegal activity.
- by Holly Thompson
Exclusive
Sharks
‘We sat there with tweezers and Super Glue just going insane’
Step inside the process of building a prehistoric shark.
- by Angus Dalton
Opinion
Sharks
Swimming with sharks: We do it, time after time, and Simon Nellist would not have wanted them culled
As an ocean swimmer, I’ve been among sharks this week. Despite rare tragedies, we must respect that the sea is the sharks’ home - and we can co-exist, happily.
- by Julia Baird
Swimmers ‘at risk’ as divers rally evidence of Perth beach trophy hunts
As fishers vie for catches to celebrate with photography on social media, others are documenting how they attract the sharks to Perth’s most popular beaches.
- by Emma Young and Holly Thompson
‘False sense of security’: Council calls for removal of shark nets at Bondi Beach
The NSW government has rebuffed calls to end the use of shark nets to protect beachgoers from shark attacks.
- by Andrew Taylor
Explainer
Sharks
What do sharks want – and why do they bite?
Tracking programs have started to piece together a new picture of the ocean’s most fearsome predator. Here’s what we know about the secret lives of sharks.
- by Sherryn Groch