Author: Jessica Aldred
Source: The Guardian
August 1, 2012

"The mayor of a town on Réunion Island has been forced to back down from a decision to pay fishermen to hunt and kill sharks because it contravenes French conservation law.

On Monday 30 July, Thierry Robert MP, mayor of St Leu commune near Trois-Bassins, where a bull shark was believed to have been responsible for the death of a surfer last week, made the decision to "act to safeguard the security of goods and people of his town" by authorising fishing of the bull shark "by any means, including spearfishing, day and night".

He said the town would buy bull sharks of more that five feet caught by all fishermen or hunters, and pay €2 per kilo of live weight for the first 30 sharks bought to the marina."

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