Whitsundays shark attack victim speaks for first time after regaining consciousness

The department's shark control program manager Jeff Krause said it was too early to determine what species of shark was responsible for the first attacks in the area in eight years.

"While we are very grateful for these offers, there are others within the community who genuinely need the assistance", Mr Barwick said.

Mr Barwick said he understood the state government's decision to set drum lines and cull risky sharks, but the animals played an important role in the marine ecosystem.

Sea Shepherd Australia and Humane Society International say human safety is paramount but that killing three tiger sharks in Cid Harbour in response to attacks on a Tasmanian woman and a Melbourne girl is not the answer.

Last week Justine Barwick, 46, was attacked by a shark while snorkelling in the Whitsundays, and is lucky to be alive.

"This shark, like the others, would pose a serious threat to people swimming in the Cid Harbour waters", he said.

This is the moment a rescue helicopter crew arrived on the scene of a shark attack in Australia's Whitsunday Islands.

"However, we have to understand that while there have been two attacks in rapid succession, shark attacks are rare and sharks play an important role in the ecosystem of the Great Barrier reef". There's a lot of very large sharks in that area that seem to frequent that area a lot.

Baited hooks dropped into Sawmill Bay by Fisheries Queensland officials on Friday have since caught a two-metre tiger shark, a 2.6-metre tiger shark and a 3.3-metre tiger shark.

Hannah Papps' family have expressed gratitude for the quick actions of those involved in her rescue.

She could have added, "as long as the government doesn't disagree", because indeed, as the Premier said, "imagine the public outcry".

"The technology is there and we've moved on".

One of the country's leading shark experts, Dr Blake Chapman, told 9NEWS; "Any sort of knee jerk reaction going out and killing large numbers of sharks, isn't a good solution".

"We would like to thank everyone who has helped and cared for Hannah, including the police, emergency services and the hospital teams", a statement from her parents read.

"We ask that everyone please respect our family's privacy during this very hard time so we can focus our energies on Hannah's recovery".

Justine Barwick was bitten by a shark in the Whitsundays.

The state government insists drum lines have been effective and their use is supported by Labor and the Liberal National party in the state.

However, Clarke said there was no evidence that was the case.

Angry members of the public were also outraged by the decision to carry out a cull, with many taking to social media to brand the cull "disgusting", stressing that people should be aware of the risks when entering the water, saying it is the sharks' territory.

"The fact we got three sharks in the drum lines in a day shows the level of shark activity in the area".