The search for the remains of a swimmer killed in a white shark attack at Perth‘s Sorrento Beach has entered a second day as the state government issues a ‘catch and kill’ order for the first time in 10 years.
Emergency services were called to the scene at the beach, just to the north of the city centre, at 10.15am on Friday following frantic calls for help.
Within hours, police confirmed a man who had been swimming with a friend about 15m from the shore died as the result of a shark attack.
Responders, including Water Police and the Police Air Wing, launched a major search operation on Friday, which continued on Saturday morning.
‘The 63-year-old male swimmer has not been located. Police conducted a search of the shoreline this morning (Saturday),’ a WA Police spokesperson said on Saturday.
‘A WA Police Force Water Police vessel will remain in the area today, weather permitting. Beaches in the area remain closed.’
By mid-morning, some responders had to pause their efforts due to adverse conditions, with the Bureau of Meteorology issuing a strong wind warning for Perth local waters and the coast.
Dozens of locals were at the beach when the attack took place, with witnesses describing a ‘large pool of blood’ in the water.
Emergency services were called to the scene at the beach , just to the north of the city centre, at 10.15am on Friday following frantic calls for help
A 63-year-old man who had been swimming with a friend about 15m from the shore died as the result of a shark attack
Responders, including Water Police and the Police Air Wing, launched a major search operation on Friday, which continued on Saturday morning
‘Basically the shark grabbed him again, pulled him back down, and then it went out a bit further,’ local man Ryan Rowe told The West Australian.
Mr Rowe added: ‘It popped back up again, and then went back down, and they haven’t seen the body since.’
He said locals who frequent the stretch of coast were shocked by the incident, adding: ‘I couldn’t believe there was that much blood [coming] out of a human body.
‘We’re always sort of in and out of the water and stuff like that – it’s so close to home.’
No details about the missing person have been released by his family. It is understood his friend safely made it back to shore.
Beaches in the City of Joondalup remained closed on Saturday morning and WA government officials have been carrying out land-based patrols in the area.
WA Fisheries Minister Jackie Jarvis confirmed on Saturday it was a ‘very large’ white shark that is believed to have been more than 3m long and was not tagged, which meant it did not set off alarms at the beach.
‘So, white sharks are protected internationally. I have the power through a ministerial exemption to order catch and kill orders in those circumstances,’ she said, adding that it was the first time in a decade that the order had been made.
WA Fisheries Minister Jackie Jarvis confirmed on Saturday it was a ‘very large’ white shark that is believed to have been more than 3m long and was not tagged
By mid-morning, some responders had to pause their efforts due to adverse conditions, with the Bureau of Meteorology issuing a strong wind warning for Perth local waters and the coast
‘In the circumstances that we have here, which are quite unique, where the shark has been positively identified, remains in the vicinity following a fatal attack and is considered an ongoing threat, I have that authorisation.
‘This is not the return to the idea that we would cull all apex predators in the ocean. I don’t want to give people a false sense of security. I cannot mitigate all risks.’
Jarvis added that the capture of the shark was also linked to the potential recovery of coronial evidence.
The state government and city council previously co-funded an eco shark barrier at the beach in 2016 which was approximately 670m long and 400m wide. It was removed in 2020.
Richard Lailey, who lives 800m from Sorrento Beach, told The West there were some measures in place but he had had his own experience with a shark almost a year ago.
‘About a year ago to this day, I was one of a group of four kayakers down here that was circled by a great white shark for about 10 minutes,’ he said.
‘I also saw that the shark SMART drumline just over there was triggered about 10 days ago by a great white shark.
‘I think that the fact of the matter is, this happened a year ago, almost today, this is obviously the danger time. September and October, of course, is when the whales are travelling south, and that is the time to avoid swimming in the water.’
Jarvis added that the capture of the shark was also linked to the potential recovery of coronial evidence. Pictured, a shark in the waters off Perth’s coast
Mr Lailey addressed the absence of a shark net after the barrier was removed.
‘It was costly to maintain, and I believe that was the reason why it was taken away in the end, so maybe it’s time to put it back,’ he said.
‘We’ve got the prevailing southwesterlies here that come into this corner, and it takes a bit of a beating. In concept it was a great idea, but in practice it didn’t work out very well.’
The Daily Mail contacted the City of Joondalup for comment.
Jarvis said on Saturday that the matter was for the city council, but confirmed there was a tower and an audible alarm at that beach as part of shark mitigation activities.
‘There are funds available for local governments who wish to put in beach enclosures, and so I’m happy to talk to any local government that wishes to go down that path,’ she said.
There are also discussions in WA government on how drones can be used for both police operations and shark mitigation activities, she added.
The incident comes after a man was rushed to hospital on Monday following a shark attack on a remote WA beach.
Emergency services responded to Glenfield Beach, north of Geraldton in the state’s Mid West, shortly after 9.45am on Monday.
Surfer Mel Ismail, 56, was seriously injured and rushed to nearby Geraldton Health Campus under lights and sirens.
It is understood the off-duty firefighter lost his foot in the attack. He is now in a stable condition.
Surf Lifesaving WA’s helicopter shark patrols began for summer last week.
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