A catch and kill order is in place for a great white shark off the coast of Warnbro Sound after it was deemed a public threat.
The shark has remained one kilometre off the coast for the past few days and attempts are now underway to capture it.
In a statement on Friday afternoon, the Department of Fisheries said mitigation action to remove the tagged shark had not worked and a decision to deploy capture gear was made in the interest of public safety.
"The department has monitored the movement of the white shark in the Warnbro Sound area since late November and has been closely monitoring it for the past two weeks," Fisheries acting director general Dr Rick Fletcher said.
"The initial pattern of detections of this tagged shark combined with the mitigation strategies did not warrant further action.
"However, there has been an increase in the number of daytime detections on consecutive [days] during the lead up to Christmas and school holidays, combined with warm and sunny weather, people are more likely to be in the water using the beaches, fishing and diving.
"The decision to remove the shark has been made under the State Government's guidelines for the taking of a shark posing a serious threat to public safety," Dr Fletcher said.
Warnbro Beach will remain closed for the remainder of Friday and the situation will be reviewed later in the day.
Any shark sightings can be reported to Water Police on 9442 8600.
