The slaughter of sharks is continuing in New Caledonia because the culling is happening outside the areas prohibited by a recent court order, campaigners say.

The administrative court had ordered a halt to the hunt for bull or tiger sharks in the French territory.

However, there has been some confusion, with a group of local ecologists seeking clarity from the judge.

Wildlife conservation advocates have protested the culling programme, put in place by the authorities after “unprovoked” attacks in the capital Nouméa earlier this year.

In April, the mayor of Nouméa, Sonia Lagarde, ordered the closure of beaches across the capital until the end of November.

Beachgoers have protested against the ban.

Lagarde said there was an “overpopulation problem and that we need to get rid of a certain number of sharks”.

At least 68 sharks have been killed since April, the authorities said.

New Caledonia is about 2400km north of New Zealand, with a population of just over 270,000, 44% of whom are indigenous Melanesian Kanak people, who have condemned the cull campaign.

Marine biology researcher Jean-Baptiste Juhel said sharks occupy a sacred place in Kanak culture and are “often protected rather than hunted”.

Ecological group Ensemble pour la Planète or Together For The Planet (EPLP) took legal action to stop the shark culls, calling them “environmentally irresponsible”.

On September 14, the court suspended the campaign, citing the “absence of precise scientific studies both on the size of tiger and bull shark populations as well as the environmental impact of removing them”.

Nouméa city council said it would continue with the shark culling from September 18 because “the court ruling only concerns the sustainable management zones of Master Island, Duck Island, and the tip of Kuendu.

“Therefore, it has no impact on the campaigns outside the protected zones, such as the ban on swimming in Nouméa and around these reserves (Islet Canard, Islet Maître, Kuendu).

“Fishing is prohibited in these protected areas, temporarily at least, because the court must now rule on the merits.”

EPLP president Martine Cornaille, who has welcomed the court decision, said they were seeking clarity from the judge.

“The campaigns are carried out along the Nouméa coastline. This decision is relatively fragile since it must be confirmed by the trial judge.

“The judge asked questions that deserve clear answers, and we will study his observations to continue to move forward effectively on this matter.

“We have been seeking cancellation of the South Province allowing the mayor of Nouméa to organise the slaughtering of sharks in the southern provincial reserves,” Cornaille said.

The government is set to install a 758m metal net at Baie des Citrons in October to act as an underwater fence and prevent sharks from swimming too close to the shore.

Some scientists view the net as a better alternative than culling but warn it may still pose a threat to biodiversity.

According to an impact assessment, commissioned by the New Caledonia government, the net-barrier would destroy part of the coral reef.

“Though the proposed net includes new technology-iron mesh to limit the risk of wildlife being caught accidentally, it could still potentially suffocate ‘non-target species’ such as turtles or leopard sharks,” the impact report said.

Shark nets were installed in Dunedin, New Zealand, in 1971 and were removed in 2011. The nets were found to be detrimental to the environment, the Government said, with close to 700 non-target species killed.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare reported in June that up to 273 million sharks are killed each year, with commercial fishing destroying more than 100 million sharks annually.

“There are over 500 species of sharks in the ocean, and some of their populations are declining by as much as 99%.

“There are only four culling places in the world: New South Wales and Queensland in Australia, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and Réunion Island in France.”

Unprovoked shark attacks have increased in New Caledonia in recent years, the Fund said, with the Pacific nation ranked 13th in the world.

The United States has had the most shark attacks, 1106 in total with 37 of them fatal – Australia is second with 647 attacks and 261 deaths.

Hawai’i (5th after Africa and Asia) had 137 shark attacks and 11 people killed, while New Zealand (11th) recorded 50 encounters and 10 deaths.

Other Pacific island nations have reported a total of 129 shark attacks and 50 fatal cases.

New Zealanders travelling to New Caledonia have been urged to exercise caution, particularly at the beaches, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement.

Between January and June 2023, 5077 Kiwis visited the French territory, according to Tourism New Caledonia.

It said while the beaches in protected areas are closed, there were other swimming spots open in the capital.

“As a preventative measure for the shark risk observed near Nouméa, the city council has issued an order prohibiting temporarily any swimming within 300m of the Nouméa coastline outside the supervised swimming area, while water activities remain allowed.

“Besides the shark nets along Anse Vata Beach, there’s also a net being installed at the other main beach in Nouméa, the Baie des Citron, which is where there’s a supervised swimming area installed until the restrictions are lifted on the 30th of November.

“This restriction is applicable in Nouméa only. The rest of New Caledonia remains fully accessible. And this restriction is only applicable in the water; visitors are allowed on the beach,” Tourism New Caledonia said.