Queensland kills 621 sharks in a year under protection program
by Staff and agencies from on (#J179)
State fisheries minister denies the program is a cull but is merely aimed at catching sharks near popular beaches
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.
