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'Cull sharks': As hunt for Sydney's killer Great White begins, its fate splits community

The search for the Great white who has eaten a swimmer in Sydney alive begins and the people are discussing about what will happen to the shark if it is ever found

A hunt for a 4.5m the Great White shark has been launched after the beast mauled swimmer Simon Nellist in front of onlookers at a popular Sydney beach and vanished just moments later. Aussies have taken to social media to discuss about what will happen to the beast  wether to kill it or not if they ever find it.

Nellist was taking an afternoon swim off Little Bay Beach on Wednesday, 16 February when his life came to a brutal end in Sydney's first fatal shark attack in 60 years, Nellist suffered catastrophic injuries after being eaten alive by the shark. Located in Sydney's east, the beach was packed with dozens of afternoon swimmers, paddle boarders and rock fishermen that day, but the crowd could not do much to help Nellist. 

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CEO Steven Pearce told the Daily Mail the 4.5m beast struck just under a rock shelf in full view of traumatized witnesses who watched in horror.

"We had our Life Saver helicopter on the scene within minutes, our base is on the headland above, and when they arrived there was nothing they could do," he said.

"Obviously there was evidence of what has been a horrific attack and then we had our Randwick lifeguards and lifesavers on jet-skis on the water very quickly, again, there was nothing they could do but patrol the area and try to locate the animal."

Mr Pearce said the 'huge shark' couldn't be detected by the Life Saving helicopter still circling over the popular beach minutes after the attack. He said several bull sharks had been recently tagged not far from where the swimmer was mauled, according to the Department of Primary Industries.

All beaches in the Randwick council area, including popular spots like Clovelly, Maroubra and Coogee, will be closed on Thursday as the search continues. 

Drones have been granted access to fly above the beach as smart drum lines designed to send an alert when a shark is present are also installed. Police were seen scouring the water's edge on Thursday morning in search of evidence as Mr Pearce assured the public the beach was being supervised. He said no form of shark netting could have prevented the horror encounter if a large shark is motivated to attack in the vicinity of swimmers. 

It comes as outraged Sydneysiders took to social media to call for a shark cull in NSW following the fatal encounter, the first in almost 60 years.  Shark culling refers to a state government policy that allows the deliberate capturing and killing of the animals for the benefit of swimmer safety.

But, the great white, one of the few species of shark dangerous to humans, was classified as a protected species in 1996 by the NSW Government.

A permit to harm protected wildlife under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) must be obtained prior to harming animals, as the life of the 4.5m great white responsible for the attack hangs in the balance.

"Think it's time for a shark cull," one woman wrote on Facebook.

"Idiotic Shark Protection 1959 still in force, human sacrifices to appease moron minority groups that the government lives in fear of," another man tweeted.
"Cull these predators. Human lives do matter."

But some are posting on favor of the vulnerable species. One tweeted, "Tragic but I don't see that hunting down the shark to kill it will achieve anything. My thoughts are with his family at this tragic time."

Another tweeted, "Sydney shark attack is very sad for those affected but I can’t see the point in chasing/hunting a 4m+ great white shark that attacked in quite literally, its expected & ideal habitat. Deep water straight off rocks. Late afternoon. Low sun. It’s not ‘Jaws’."