The West Australian premier has turned his attention to "rogue" sharks that linger around an area for a long time after admitting last summer's baited drumline program wasn't targeted enough.
Shortly after the Environmental Protection Authority recommended against extending the controversial drumline program by three years on Thursday, Liberal leader Colin Barnett said the government would not appeal the decision.
On Friday, Mr Barnett said the WA government would not seek to use drumlines again and flagged a more targeted approach to deal with shark attack threats - killing "rogues" rather than moving them on - as well as non-lethal methods.
While the metropolitan coastline was relatively straight and easy to monitor aerially thanks to good visibility, helicopter patrols were less effective in the South West with its rugged coastline, he said.
"My particularly concern in that regard is there is anecdotal and now tagging evidence that in those areas, large sharks stay around the area for extended periods of time, often very close to popular swimming beaches, and I'm very conscious school holidays are nearly upon us," the Premier told ABC radio.
He said it was legally possible to hand Fisheries officers the authority to kill such sharks, rather than having to wait for permission from higher up. The officers would need to work to guidelines, he said.
"I don't think that will happen on the metropolitan beaches because the sharks are going in one direction or the other, but there is clear evidence of sharks staying around in the Capes area, particularly Albany, and they are a threat," he said.
"Maybe drumlines were not as targeted as they should be, but if you're not going to have drumlines, there needs to be a simple way of dealing with threats.
"We will concentrate on the other measures but we will also have to improve the situation where you clearly have a single shark posing a direct threat - we cannot just let that shark swim around for days hoping it will be ok."
After the success of a swimming enclosure at Dunsborough, more may be rolled out at Busselton and Rockingham, Mr Barnett said.
Cottesloe mayor Jo Dawkins said the council was looking into installing a shark barrier at the popular beach.
Opposition Leader Mark McGowan expressed his relief the drumlines would no longer be used, saying they actually made beaches more dangerous as caught sharks bled and thrashed in close proximity to swimmers and surfers.
"I think that's self-evident," Mr McGowan said.
"I'm glad it's over.
"You swim in the ocean, you run a very, very, very small risk. People, I think, understand that."
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