Esperance shark attack: Great whites to be examined after surfer Sean Pollard loses arm, hand

The carcasses of two great white sharks caught off the coast of Esperance, in southern Western Australia, will be cut open after a surfer was attacked.

Sean Pollard, 23, lost part of an arm and his other hand in the attack at Kelpids Beach, Wylie Bay, on Thursday morning. He is in a stable condition in Royal Perth Hospital.

Two great white sharks were caught and killed after WA's Department of Fisheries deployed drum lines off the beach following the incident.

The sharks have been taken to Perth by truck for research purposes, and Mr Pollard's surfboard will also be forensically examined by shark experts.

However, the Department of Fisheries conceded it might not be possible to confirm whether the sharks killed were involved in the attack.

"Even upon examination it may not be possible to confirm that either shark was involved in the incident. It is common for sharks to disgorge stomach contents," a statement from the department said.

Results of the tests on the sharks were not expected until next week.

Off-duty paramedic 'saved Mr Pollard's life'

Police said an off-duty paramedic, who was on the beach at the time of the attack, probably saved Mr Pollard's life by wrapping towels around his arms to stem the bleeding.

"Obviously he's had his wrist taken off and his left forearm, so it would have been a huge blood loss," Esperance police Senior Sergeant Richard Moore said.

"Having that paramedic there I believe would have saved his life and I'm sure Sean feels the same way."

He said Mr Pollard also suffered bites to the legs.

"He has a very positive attitude and he and his partner Claire thank the community and emergency services for their assistance," Senior Sergeant Moore said.

Mr Pollard's partner was on the beach at the time of the attack.

"She is still in a bit of shock," he said.

"She's got Mr Pollard's family around her. Her family's from Tasmania and they're flying in today to support her."

Baited drum lines put out soon after the attack were removed on Thursday night and the department has said they would not be put out again.

Premier Colin Barnett defends killing of sharks

Premier Colin Barnett has defended the decision to kill the sharks, denying it was a knee-jerk reaction.

"A young man suffered severe injuries and is very lucky to live, that’s hardly a knee-jerk reaction," he said.

"It's a serious issue and people going to the beach should feel as safe as possible.

"I think Perth beaches are as safe as we can reasonably make them, but the South West and the southern coastline is a different matter."

He said setting the baited drum lines had been necessary.

"The shark, while it was killed, it was done in a humane way," Mr Barnett said.

"Where there is a clear threat to public safety, we'll act to destroy that shark.

"It was necessary; it was school holiday time, there were people visiting that beach and camping along the beach."

Doubt over type of sharks involved in attack

Meanwhile doubts have emerged about the species of shark involved in the attack and the Sea Shepherd conservation group has criticised the decision to kill sharks near Esperance.

The surfer told authorities he believed he had been attacked by two bronze whalers.

A shark expert told the ABC he doubted that was true and believed great white sharks were much more likely to have been responsible.

That view was reiterated by Ms Clack who said it was highly likely they were great white sharks.

"Given the nature of the injuries and the location it occurred, it's not likely the species was a bronze whaler," she told Fairfax Radio.

"It's much more likely the species involved was a white shark."

Sea Shepherd director Jeff Hansen said the discrepancy showed the catch-and-kill policy was flawed.

"If this is an eye for an eye sort of mentality, it's not going to make any difference, and it's proven through experience all over the world that culling and killing sharks does not work," he said.

"We have nature on a grand scale off our doorstep ... unfortunately at times we get caught in the middle of that and we have these tragic incidents, but we need to learn from what has happened here."

Mr Hansen said no matter what type of sharks were involved, they should not have been killed, and the Government needed to rethink its policy.

"There is no such thing as a rogue shark, they don't exist - they exist in Hollywood in films like Jaws and that's it," he said.

Wylie Bay is an unpatrolled beach about 10 kilometres south-east of Esperance and popular with surfers.

Beaches along a 15km stretch of coastline are likely to remain closed for several days and Ms Clack said authorities were closely monitoring the area.

"[They've been] Closing access points, letting as many people as they can know about the situation - and other government agencies, such as the Department of Transport and Department of Fisheries, have been on the water trying to let water users know as well," she said.

There were seven fatal shark attacks in WA in the three years from 2010 to 2013.

Baited drum lines were deployed off a number of Perth and South West beaches earlier this year to catch sharks, but plans to extend the trial this summer were abandoned after WA's Environmental Protection Authority advised against it.

Instead, the Government planned to introduce shark barriers at up to 22 beaches, although Esperance beaches are not included in the plans.