Are shark nets outdated technology, or essential for beach safety? Photo: Humane Society International Australia.
A short season for shark nets off NSW beaches doesn’t go far enough to reduce the number of deaths of endangered marine animals, the Humane Society says.
The NSW Government has released its 2024-25 Shark Management program. It runs from Tweed Heads to Bega, but shark nets are only deployed on beaches between Newcastle and Wollongong.
The new program includes a number of trial measures to reduce the number of deaths of marine life in shark nets.
A NSW Department of Primary Industries spokesperson said shark nets would be removed a month earlier, on 31 March 2025, due to increased turtle activity in April.
While the nets are up they will be inspected more regularly for animals caught unintentionally. Nets will now be inspected on alternate days, instead of on every third day.
On days the nets aren’t inspected in person there will be increased Surf Life Saving drone surveillance in March to scout for turtles.
There will also be a trial of lights on nets during February and March to deter turtles and prevent their entanglement.
Shark nets across NSW are also fitted with acoustic warning devices, such as dolphin pingers and whale alarms, to deter and minimise the risks to those marine mammals.
A spokesperson for the Humane Society International Australia, marine biologist Lawrence Chlebeck, said the improvements were welcome, but did not go far enough.
“While we welcome the announcement to shorten the meshing season, we can’t ignore the fact that the nets will still be in place for six months,” Lawrence said.
“The collateral damage caused by these nets is unbelievable: for every targeted shark caught last season, 17 other marine animals become entangled in the nets.
“Many of them were dead when found or would have died soon after, and what’s most upsetting is knowing just how many of those animals were threatened and protected species.
“We strongly urge local councils and the Minns Government to work quickly on permanent removal of the ineffective shark nets. They know shark nets don’t stop shark bites, and they know nets are killing marine animals.
“More frequent net checks and improved drone surveillance are also positive, but the government is beating around the bush. Lights on nets will do nothing to reduce turtle catch and may even increase the risk to birds like Manly’s little penguins.”
The NSW Government committed to explore the potential removal of nets in conjunction with local councils.
SMART drumlines have also been used as an effective tool to keep swimmers safe on NSW beaches, allowing over 413 target sharks such as white, tiger and bull sharks, to be caught, tagged and released last year.
Once tagged, the state’s 37 coastal tagged shark listening stations can track these sharks near the beaches where the device is based – with this information available to anyone with the SharkSmart app, website or on X (Twitter).
More than 2000 target sharks have been tagged over the life of the program and are monitored by listening stations.
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