Australia scraps controversial shark-culling policy

Western Australia (WA)'s state government will scrap plans to trap and kill large sharks on popular beaches along the state's coast.
The controversial culling policy was introduced earlier this year by the WA government and immediately attracted widespread international condemnation.
Angry protests were staged across Western Australia, Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide and Sydney, as well as in New Zealand and South Africa.
High-profile international celebrities also criticized the proposals, including English comedians Ricky Gervais, Keith Lemon and Alan Carr, as well as Olympians Rebecca Adlington and Tom Daley.
Gervais was pictured holding a sign that reads, "To the government of Western Australia: Listen to facts, listen to science, listen to reason ... Stop the shark cull."
It appears the outcry might have forced a re-think from the WA authorities who on Friday announced they would withdraw an application to the federal government enabling a three-year extension to the culling policy.
WA premier Colin Barnett confirmed the application had been withdrawn after the Evironmental Protection Authority rejected the proposal as being harmful to the marine environment.
Barnett said the policy was only suggested to bring an end to shark attacks, such as the recent incident involving a white pointer at Kelpids beach near Esperance, where a surfer had his hand and part of his other arm bitten off.
There have been 11 shark attack deaths in WA since 2000.
"It is important that we can take action to protect human life when necessary due to an imminent threat, without delay," Barnett said on Friday.
"The federal and state governments will work together so that the state government can take appropriate action to protect public safety when there is an imminent threat from a shark, as was the case in the recent attack in Esperance.
"This approach strikes the necessary balance between protecting public safety and protecting our environment."
Following the spate of shark attacks, the WA government introduced a 13-week trial in January, where 72 baited drum lines were set off Perth and South West beaches.
More than 170 sharks were killed on the drum lines, but none were great whites, at a cost of 1.15 million U.S. dollars to the state government.
Leading the campaign against proposals to cull sharks across Australia's west coast was Humane Society International.
However, although the group welcomed the WA government withdrawing its plans, they slammed the federal government's decision to allow shark culling at times of "imminent threat".
"The 'imminent threat' policy is a joke," campaign director Michael Kennedy said. "This is not only a complete waste of money, but also a complete mockery of the Western Australian government's commitment to improving the scientific understanding of white sharks."