New Caledonia's Southern Province will tag 200 sharks with transmitting devices. Photo: Supplied / IRD
The latest shark attack related fatality in New Caledonia has reignited debate between environmental organisations and those who place public human safety first.
On Sunday, a 55-year-old surfer was found dead near the popular beach of Anse-Vata, with a post mortem revealing deep wounds on the body, especially on the arm and leg, the result of a likely shark attack.
The same area was also the scene of a spate of three similar shark attacks early 2023, causing the death of a 59-year-old Australian tourist.
In the wake of the latest tragedy, local authorities (Southern province and Nouméa municipality) are now re-launching a culling campaign targeting the same species as in 2023 - when 127 tiger and bull sharks were killed between January and August 2023
The announcement came via a joint statement on Monday for an immediate resumption of the culling.
"In view of the gravity of the situation, the Southern Province (where Nouméa is located) and the Town of Nouméa have jointly decided to take their responsibility and to re-launch a targeted campaign of tiger and bull sharks", they said in a joint statement.
It said the move was motivated by the need to "protect human lives".
Swimming in certain areas is also prohibited until 4 March. However, just like in 2003, a fresh legal battle looms.
Nouméa beach of Anse Vata now closed to the public. Photo: Supplied / RRB
At the time, local environmental association Ensemble pour la Planète (EPLP) sued authorities and in October 2023 obtained a ruling from New Caledonia's administrative tribunal effectively ordering the culling campaign to stop.
Another ruling also voided an earlier decision to withdraw the two targeted bull and tiger sharks from the list of protected species.
The tribunal motivated its ruling by the fact that there was no scientific study to establish which impact those culling had on the marine environment and more specifically on these protected species.
EPLP immediately reacted on Monday, saying it will once again initiate proceedings against the culling decision.
According to the association, the fresh move to resume targeted culling can be regarded as "contempt of court", in view of the 2003 ruling.
Mid-2024, announcements were made to resume a new scientific study aimed at gaining more knowledge of the whereabouts of sharks in the Nouméa area.
But the study was once again aborted, mainly because of the insurrectional riots that erupted in May that year.
Five years earlier, in 2019, the same project, with a strong focus on tiger and bull sharks, was also aborted.
The study was supposed to tag two hundred specimens of tiger and bulldog sharks with transmitters so their movements and behaviours can be accurately monitored.
