Killing sharks: cultures and politics of encounter and the sea

Australia Day 2014 began badly for sharks. The day before-25 January-lines of large baited hooks were rolled out, 1 km from the shore along some of Western Australia's most popular beaches. Within 24 hours the first shark was caught. Hauled alongside a boat, the animal was shot four times in the head with a rifle and its body dumped further offshore. It was a 3m tiger shark.