Great white prime suspect in diver death
April 2, 2012, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A GREAT white shark is likely to have been responsible for killing an Australian diver, fisheries officials said yesterday as a cull was ruled out, despite four fatal incidents in seven months.
Father-of-two Peter Kurmann had been diving for crustaceans 1.6 kilometers from Stratham Beach near Busselton, about 200km south of Perth, when he was attacked by a shark on Saturday. His mauled body was recovered by his brother Gian, assisted by the crew of a nearby boat, and taken to shore.
It was the fourth fatal shark attack on Australia's west coast since September.
Tony Cappelluti of the Shark Response Unit at the Western Australia Fisheries Department said the animal was likely to have been a great white.
"A Department of Fisheries scientist has advised police that, based on his experience, evidence he has examined indicates that a white shark was by all signs responsible for the attack," he said in a statement.
He added that information given to police suggested the shark was 4 meters in length.
Cappelluti said three lines put in the water to try to catch any sharks in the area after an aerial patrol spotted one Saturday afternoon had proved unsuccessful in hooking any of the predators.
The latest death has seen renewed calls for a shark culling program, with fears that tourism is being damaged.
But Western Australia Premier Colin Barnett ruled this out.
"While it's still a rare occurrence, the ocean is the domain of the shark, and we go there with a risk always," he said.
Father-of-two Peter Kurmann had been diving for crustaceans 1.6 kilometers from Stratham Beach near Busselton, about 200km south of Perth, when he was attacked by a shark on Saturday. His mauled body was recovered by his brother Gian, assisted by the crew of a nearby boat, and taken to shore.
It was the fourth fatal shark attack on Australia's west coast since September.
Tony Cappelluti of the Shark Response Unit at the Western Australia Fisheries Department said the animal was likely to have been a great white.
"A Department of Fisheries scientist has advised police that, based on his experience, evidence he has examined indicates that a white shark was by all signs responsible for the attack," he said in a statement.
He added that information given to police suggested the shark was 4 meters in length.
Cappelluti said three lines put in the water to try to catch any sharks in the area after an aerial patrol spotted one Saturday afternoon had proved unsuccessful in hooking any of the predators.
The latest death has seen renewed calls for a shark culling program, with fears that tourism is being damaged.
But Western Australia Premier Colin Barnett ruled this out.
"While it's still a rare occurrence, the ocean is the domain of the shark, and we go there with a risk always," he said.
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