The Queensland Government has been forced to remove shark control equipment set up on all North Queensland beaches north of Townsville, following a Federal Court decision last week.
The Federal Court announced that all sharks caught within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park must now be tagged, and released alive within 24 hours.
Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said that swimmers in Cairns were now at risk due to the decision, and blamed the Federal Government for being slow to respond on the issue