Queensland tourism operators are calling on the government to control the presence of sharks in the Great Barrier Reef.

27 drum lines and 160 shark nets along the north Queensland coast were removed last month after the state government lost a legal battle with animal rights group Humane Society International.

20 of the Great Barrier Reef’s most popular beaches are now unprotected.

Tourism Industry Council CEO Daniel Gschwind tells Karl Stefanovic all measures need to be considered.

“We need to really look at the whole suite of opportunities that we have.”

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Image: Getty/Andrew Thirlwell