How WA's approach to shark mitigation has evolved over decades after another fatal attack

It was 13 years ago when former premier Colin Barnett fronted news cameras holding a big, sharp steel hook to catch great white sharks.

It was the defining image of his government's shark-culling policy after seven people were killed by sharks in three years, leaving the community badly shaken and alarmed.

The catch-and-kill policy with baited hooks and killing zones near popular beaches was a controversial move, with some groups pleased the government was actively doing something to protect people.

But shark conservationists stressed white sharks were vulnerable and endangered species. Dozens of sharks were caught, but none were white sharks, and the cull was eventually scrapped.

Thirteen years later, and the approach has changed dramatically from elimination to mitigation.

The current state of play is focused on shark tagging and tracking, an app for notifications, warning sirens, shark enclosures and personal deterrents.

Shark attacks have not stopped, although fortunately they are not occurring at the rate they were previously.

On the weekend, 38-year-old Steven Mattaboni was tragically killed by a reported four metre white shark when he was spearfishing at Horseshoe Reef, one kilometre off Rottnest Island.

His friends pulled him back onto their boat and gave him CPR, before racing to Geordie Bay where police and paramedics were waiting but could not save him.

Much loved, his wife Shirene said he was a devoted father to their two young daughters, and their hearts were "irrevocably broken". He was a member of the Kingsley Football Club, which said his smile could light up a room.

It was the first fatal attack in WA since March last year, when surfer Steven Payne was killed at Wharton's Beach near Esperance.

Millions of people go for a swim at the beach, a surf, a snorkel, a dive, or spearfish every year in WA, and the chances of being attacked by a shark remain very small.

According to a 2014 study published in the Australasian Medical Journal, the risk of being bitten by a shark while swimming off Perth in summer is just one in 30 million.

But as Graham Henderson, president of the Australian Underwater Federation, acknowledged after Mr Mattaboni's death, spearfishing can be a dangerous sport.

During underwater competitions, there are safety boats and sometimes drones to spot sharks and alert spear fishers.

But, as Mr Henderson said, when people spearfish recreationally, they are more vulnerable and their personal risk is higher.

Mr Mattaboni was highly respected and highly experienced.

He was the secretary of the Bluewater Freedivers of WA and his wife said he was an avid spearfisherman "who lived and breathed the ocean".

It is not known if Mr Mattaboni was wearing a personal shark deterrent device on Saturday.

'Ocean is a wild place' 

Dr Leonardo Guida, a shark scientist at the Australian Marine Conservation Society, said his thoughts and condolences went to Mr Mattaboni's family and his friends and first responders on the scene.

He said the ocean was a wild place and had its risks, regardless of mitigation measures.

"Spearfishing is an inherently risky sport. And when you're spearing fish, you're sending off signals into the water, such as blood and body movements from the animals that can attract sharks," Dr Guida said.

He said Rottnest Island was close to where white sharks were known to feed in Cockburn Sound.

"So, it is a very vibrant and wild space. Without sharks in our oceans, you won't have spearfishing. So, this is deeply tragic that in this instance someone has lost their life."

He said people needed to be aware of the risks and make sure they heed all safety advice.

"But in the grand scheme of things, a healthy ocean has to have sharks in it and when you have a healthy population of sharks you have a healthy ecosystem," he said.

"It's these healthy ecosystems that draw people to activities like spearfishing.

"And so the more information we have about the risks, the better informed about the risks anyone's willing to take when they enter the ocean."