Militant greens dub nets ‘insane’
MILITANT greenies who claim to have played a critical role in BP backing down from exploratory oil drilling in South Australia this week are confident they will stop shark nets being installed in Ballina.
NSW Premier Mike Baird this week announced he would write to the Federal Government seeking approval for a trial of shark nets off north coast beaches after yet another attack at Ballina on Wednesday.
But Sea Shepherd Australia managing director Jeff Hansen told the Bulletin the group would campaign and lobby against the installation of the nets, which he branded an “insane” move.
“We were successful in stopping the West Australian cull – we will continue to campaign against this,” Mr Hansen said.
With the Northern Rivers region a hotbed for green activism Mr Hansen said he wouldn’t be surprised if vigilantes tampered with shark nets if Sea Shepherd was unable to stop them.
“I wouldn’t be surprised (if that happened), we had a lot of people doing that in WA,” he said.
“If local people are watching dolphins killed day after day they’ll go ‘This is bull, this is insane, we need to do something about it’.
“Installing nets is insane, it just doesn’t add up.”
Mr Baird said the nets needed to be installed because the northern coast was facing “ex- traordinary circumstances” and because people’s lives were more important than fish.
Federal Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg stated, after the attack on 17-year-old Cooper Allen at Ballina, that Mr Baird was free to safeguard northern NSW beaches and only needed to seek permission if he wanted a shark cull.
Mr Hansen said this was just another issue for volunteer organisation with a strong base in northern NSW.
“I’m confident we’ll see no drum lines on the coast, we will show people these issues,” he said. “Humans are not on the menu, just in the way. If we’re going into an environment with a risk it’s up to the individual.
“It’s so emotional because they trigger two primal fears, dying and getting eaten.”
Gold Coast shark conservationist Madison Stewart said boardriders should keep away from northern NSW breaks notorious for shark attacks.
“People should just bite the bullet and drive an hour away from the area,” she said.