A man who lost his forearm and leg in a shark attack came out and criticised Western Australia's shark cull plans. Paul de Gelder, a navy clearance diver, described the culling as a "knee-jerk reaction" and called it "stupid."

In 2009, Mr de Gelder was in Sydney Harbour for exercises when he was attacked by a bull shark. Although he survived the horrific incident, the shark bit off his leg and arm. Mr de Gelder now uses custom-made prosthetics to replace the body parts he lost.

Despite his experience, the Canberra native said he did not agree with WA Premier Colin Barnett's proposed shark cull. He expressed his sentiment in a blog post and told media it was a ridiculous plan. Mr de Gelder added that a shark cull is one of the "stupidest solutions" the government has thought of.

He believes the government's plan is a waste of ecological resources. Since he was attacked by a shark himself, he understands the feelings of families and friends of shark victims. However, he said sharks are essential to nature and marine life.

Shark culling plans to go ahead

Despite the protest of thousands of Australians at Cottlesloe Beach, the Western Australia government will still go with its plan to cull sharks. More than 4,000 people showed up on Perth's beach on Jan 4 in protest of the government's plan to kill large sharks using baited lines.

The government announced its shark culling plan after shark attacks off the Western Australian coast claimed the lives of 7 people. The fatal attacks all occurred in a span of three years. Acting Premier Kim Hames believes the government is doing the right thing and has no plans of backing down on the issue. Ms Hines said seven people have died from shark attacks in the last three years compared to 20 people in 20 years. The government has previously remarked it will only kill sharks over three metres long.

However, environmental groups have argued that culling sharks will not prevent future attacks from happening. Natalie Banks, one of the protest organisers, remarked other marine life might get caught in the bait lines and sharks less than 3 metres long.