Home / Environment / New Caledonia Shark Cull Sparks Outrage, Legal Fight
New Caledonia Shark Cull Sparks Outrage, Legal Fight
2 Mar
Summary
- Shark culling began February 23rd after a fatal attack.
- Environmentalists argue culls are ineffective and species are protected.
- Indigenous groups protest, citing ancestral ties to sharks.
In New Caledonia, authorities initiated a shark culling operation on February 23rd, targeting tiger and bull sharks off the coast of Nouméa. This action followed the fatal attack of a man wing foiling in a popular recreational area, believed to be by a tiger shark measuring at least three metres. Swimming and water activities outside protected zones have been restricted until the operation concludes on Wednesday.
Environmental organization Ensemble Pour La Planète (EPLP) has launched a legal challenge to halt the culling, asserting that no independent studies prove their effectiveness and that the targeted species are protected. EPLP previously succeeded in stopping a similar cull in 2023, which was deemed disproportionate.
Mayor Sonia Lagarde defends the initiative as "regulation" to protect lives amid perceived increased shark threats. She dismissed alternative measures like drone surveillance or exclusion nets as too costly. Meanwhile, indigenous Kanak groups and pro-independence coalitions have condemned the cull, advocating for non-lethal methods and emphasizing the cultural significance of sharks as ancestral species.
