Fred Pawle’s ‘Heart of Sharkness’ Calls For A Localized Culling Of Australian Sharks

Veteran journalist (and heralded Stab contributor) Fred Pawle thinks all you shark huggers have abandoned your critical thinking skills and been conned by woke environmentalists into thinking that a shark’s right to exist trumps the cost of human lives.

Has he got a point? Maybe.

Fred’s been obsessed with sharks since Great Whites were labelled a protected species and the number of attacks on Australian beaches immediately increased. Since then, in his signature tub-thumping style, he’s been on a mission to open the debate around the culling of sharks, the most recent development being his self-funded film the Heart of Sharkness.

Whatever you think of Fred’s methods (the opening scene at Manly was a tough watch), he’s obviously put his all into this project — money, passion, and a fair bit of expertise. Legendary SA surfer/fisherman Jeff Schmucker, who he interviews in the film, is certainly someone worth listening to in this debate.

We’ve reported extensively on the issues surrounding shark attacks, and gone to great lengths to garner your insights. It was interesting hearing Fred and Jed — who share certain shark-related beliefs but differ on others — debate on the latest installment of ATS, so we wanted to share it here.

After listening to the ep and watching Heart of Sharkness, has Fred’s argument that we should be culling nearshore sharks shifted your thinking — or do remain firmly in Brinkley Davies’ camp?

Perhaps somewhere in between?