KENNEDY MP Bob Katter has called for urgent changes to Queensland’s shark management laws following the tragic death of a North Queensland spear fisherman in a fatal shark attack near Mission Beach today.
Mr Katter extended his condolences to the victim’s family and the local community.
“This is a completely unnecessary heartbreaking tragedy, and all North Queensland mourns with this family tonight.
“We understand there be more clarity over the coming days about what eventuated, but locals have been raising concerns about the exploding shark populations, particularly bull sharks, which are completely out of control, for years.
“Gererd Pike, a local charter boat operator, was out there on a fishing charter today and told me that as they were reeling in a Spanish mackerel, he had six bull sharks fighting over it. So much for them being a so-called endangered species.”
Mr Katter warned that North Queenslanders were being ignored by bureaucrats in Brisbane and Canberra while local families and industries were powerless and exposed to onslaught of these apex predators.
“Another North Queenslander is dead. Another family is shattered. And still the people sitting in cushy airconditioned offices in Brisbane and Canberra think they know better than the people who live and work in these waters,” Mr Katter said.
“But every time we raise safer waterways, we are lectured by public servants and activists who have never spent five minutes in the water north of Mackay.”
Mr Katter said governments had arguably become more concerned about protecting sharks than protecting human life and that he was going to use the next parliamentary sitting period to make sure shark culling was brought back onto the national stage after learning that another fatal attack also occurred last week off Rottnest Island.
“When did human beings become less important than sharks,?” he asked. “You cannot keep telling North Queenslanders to simply accept that people will be taken from our beaches, rivers and reefs while governments tie the hands of local communities from defending themselves.
“We need immediate changes to allow the proper culling of dangerous sharks in North Queensland waters.
“We used to manage these waters. Now governments have allowed ideology to override reality, and the death of these two gentlemen is squarely on their shoulders.”