Sharks bigger than three metres caught on drum lines in Western Australia will be shot and discarded at sea, according to a state government tender.

The state government announced a new shark mitigation strategy this month following six fatal attacks in WA waters over the past two years.

The new policy includes baited drum lines one kilometre off the coast from September to April, and two monitored zones covering metropolitan beaches and parts of the southwest.

One zone will stretch from Quinns Rocks to Warnbro, and a second zone will span Forrest Beach to Prevelly in the state’s southwest region.

The tender request says any great white shark, tiger shark or bull shark longer than three metres that is caught on the drum lines will be “humanely destroyed” while others will be released “where possible”.

The tender is calling for professional fishers to carry out the job of deploying, managing and maintaining the drum lines and respond to shark threats within about 30 minutes.

Commercial fishers have until January 3 to apply for the contract.

There have been many critics of the controversial new policy, including environmental activisits and the Greens.