New Caledonia Resumes Shark Cull Despite Court Ban

NOUMEA (Azat TV) – Authorities in New Caledonia have controversially announced the resumption of shark culling and a temporary ban on swimming and water activities following a fatal shark attack near the capital, Noumea, on Sunday. This move directly challenges a 2023 court order that had prohibited such culling operations, reigniting a fierce debate between public safety advocates and environmental protection groups.

The incident on Sunday, February 22, involved a 55-year-old wing foiler who was found dead near the popular Anse Vata beach. A post-mortem examination revealed deep wounds consistent with a shark attack, particularly on the victim’s arm and leg. This marks the second shark incident this year in New Caledonia and the first fatality since 2023, prompting local authorities to declare a state of ‘profound sadness and deep emotion,’ according to statements from the South Province and the City of Noumea.

Fatal Attack Prompts Renewed Shark Culling in Noumea

In response to the tragedy, Noumea Mayor Sonia Lagarde and the South Province leadership announced a ‘targeted campaign to cull tiger and bull sharks,’ which began on Tuesday, February 24. Concurrently, swimming and all water activities have been prohibited within 300 meters of the Noumea coastline until March 4. Mayor Lagarde stated that the decision was driven by a duty to protect residents, citing numerous reports from residents and fishermen about a significant increase in shark presence along the coast. She differentiated the current actions as ‘regulation’ rather than ‘culling,’ asserting that previous regulation campaigns had led to a three-year respite from attacks.

Legal Battle Over Shark Culling Resurfaces

The decision to resume culling has quickly drawn strong condemnation and a new legal challenge from environmental groups. In December 2023, following a series of incidents including the death of Australian tourist Chris Davis, the Noumea provincial government had initiated a shark culling program. However, the environmental group Ensemble Pour La Planete (EPLP) successfully mounted a legal challenge, leading a New Caledonian court to order authorities to halt the culling operations. The court’s ruling at the time cited the lack of scientific studies to establish the impact of culling on marine environments and protected species like tiger and bull sharks.

Martine Cornaille of EPLP immediately reacted to the latest announcement, describing the resumption of culling as ‘legally indefensible and politically irresponsible.’ EPLP has filed an emergency suspension request with the Administrative Court, aiming to immediately halt lethal operations and annul the decision. Ms. Cornaille emphasized that in a democracy governed by the rule of law, court decisions are not optional, and killing legally protected species without a solid scientific basis constitutes a visceral reaction rather than sound public policy.

Authorities Defend Public Safety Amid Environmental Concerns

South Province president Sonia Backes acknowledged the prior court ruling but stated that divers had warned of an increase in sharks, and the court’s decision had prevented authorities from acting. She expressed hope that if any appeals are made against their current decision, the court will take the seriousness of the situation into account. Authorities are relying on anecdotal evidence of increased shark sightings, using municipal police drones and mobilizing firefighters for sea interventions, rather than new scientific studies, to justify their actions.

Expert Criticisms and Unresolved Scientific Studies

Shark behavior expert Eric Clua, who spent a decade researching sharks in New Caledonia, criticized the culling strategy as ‘ineffective and unscientific.’ Professor Clua argued that past ‘blind-killing campaigns’ did not prevent shark attacks and that indiscriminate culling is ‘useless.’ He advocates for a more targeted approach, suggesting that ‘problem sharks’ could be identified through DNA analysis and removed individually, rather than culling entire populations. Efforts to conduct scientific studies to tag and monitor shark movements in the Noumea area were initiated in 2019 and again in mid-2024, but both projects were aborted, the latter due to civil unrest.

The renewed conflict highlights the persistent challenge faced by coastal communities worldwide in balancing public safety with ecological conservation. New Caledonia’s situation underscores the difficulties in implementing effective, scientifically sound strategies for human-shark interactions, particularly when political pressure to respond to tragic events clashes with legal precedents and environmental concerns.