New Caledonia court bans culling of sharks after backlash

Series of shark encounters in French overseas territory located in South Pacific Ocean resulted officials to consider culling

A court in New Caledonia’s capital Noumea finally banned the practice of culling sharks which was implemented in response to a series of attacks last year.

A series of shark encounters in New Caledonia, a French overseas territory located in the South Pacific Ocean, resulting in the death of an Australian tourist, prompted officials to consider their culling.

However, the court said the systematic culls were “disproportionate in regard to the aim of protecting human life”.

The ruling was made public on 28 December.

Local authorities had earlier expressed concerns that the presence of sharks might deter tourists and pose ongoing risks to locals.

New Caledonia ranks 13th in the world for the number of shark attacks, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. Yet, scientists advocate for research rather than lethal measures as the appropriate response.

The court criticised the lack of scientific evaluation of the impact of culling programmes. The decision followed a complaint from the environmental group Ensemble pour la Planete (EPLP), which will receive compensation of $3,301 from local authorities.

Noumea’s municipal authorities were reportedly planning on filing an appeal against the administrative court decision.

Last year in February, a 59-year-old Australian tourist Chris Davis was killed in a shark attack in Noumea. That is when the local authorities decided to act. They temporarily shut down the year-round access to the capital’s tropical beaches and also implemented a citywide prohibition on swimming in coastal areas.

While expressing satisfaction with the court ruling, EPLP remains concerned about the potential for culling to resume under different conditions.

Signage at a lifeguard station warns of risk of shark attacks and indicates the presence of a perimeter of supervised swimming area protected by a newly-installed maritime net barrier at a beach along the Baie des Citrons bay in Noumea, New Caledonia, 6 December 2023 (AFP via Getty Images)

Martine Cornaille, president of EPLP, said: “We are worried because the judges left open the door to these culls in other conditions.”

Earlier, Noumea’s mayor Sonia Lagarde reiterated that there was an “overpopulation problem” and “that we need to get rid of a certain number of [sharks]” as a justification for the cull.

Shark scientist and behavioural ecologist, Dr Johann Mourier, told Forbes in August last year that culling campaigns seldom prove effective. “Culling campaigns rarely work, they only serve to appease the population because of the emotion surrounding shark incidents.”

Several environmental organisations, including the International Union for Conservation of Nature, strongly criticised the culling of sharks. The targeted bull and tiger sharks, removed from local protection lists, are deemed vulnerable species.

Eric Clua, a senior scientist and expert on shark ecology and behaviour told ABC News last year in May that the local council had made “a rash decision” to cull the sharks. “Sharks play a key role in the natural system and culling campaigns will just [make that an unbalanced] ecosystem,” he said.