County commissioner proposes hooking, killing great white sharks

BARNSTABLE VILLAGE, Mass. — A Barnstable County commissioner is proposing using bait to hook and catch great sharks to "mitigate the danger."

Ronald Beaty released his proposal shortly after Nauset Beach was shut down due to a shark eating a seal in shallow waters.

MORE: Nauset Beach evacuated Monday after shark attacks seal

Beaty's plan is to use baited drum lines near popular beaches, using specific hooks to catch great white sharks. He said that sharks hooked but still alive will be shot and their bodies discarded at sea.

"First and foremost, it needs to be made clear that all appropriate federal and state permissions and official protocols must first be sought and followed prior to implementing the...proposal, which has been successfully utilized in other countries like Australia and South Africa," said Beaty in a statement.

While this has been tried before, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy said it was not successful in Western Australia.

"The program was terminated following review by the Australian Environmental Protection Authority. According to the Western Australia Fisheries Minister Dave Kelly, there was no evidence that the cull made beaches safer," said the conservancy in a Facebook post.

The AWSC said that the presence of sharks indicates a healthy ecosystem and seals are their natural prey.

The conservancy said his proposal is "ill-considered, indiscriminate and will not influence beach safety."

Beaty did say he was seeking feedback about the "shark mitigation strategy proposal."

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