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Shark nets will return to New South Wales waters next month despite calls to scrap the program, with the state government claiming replacement technology is not good enough yet.
- The shark meshing program began in 1937. Since then there's been one fatal shark attack at a netted beach
- The premier said new technologies aren't a good replacement for the shark nets
- An expert said it's time to let go of the ineffective 100-year-old program
Every year, 51 beaches between Stockton in Newcastle and south Wollongong are meshed from September to April to protect the public from sharks.
But councils have urged the state government to replace the nets with alternatives that protect swimmers and do not harm marine life.
Local government NSW, an organisation representing councils, last year passed a resolution calling on the NSW government to phase out the use of shark nets.
"Sydneysiders can expect the nets to be in place for this coming summer," Premier Chris Minns said.
"It is our ambition to work with councils to remove them in the years ahead. But that technology, particularly in relation to shark detection, needs to improve."
Since the shark meshing program was introduced in 1937, there has been only one fatal shark attack at a netted beach in NSW.
But the state government is under pressure to get rid of the nets because of bycatch of other species.
Almost 90 per cent of animals caught in the 2022-23 season were a non-target species, according to an annual performance report by the NSW Department of Primary Industries.
Of the 228 animals entangled, just 24 were target sharks — 18 of these were white sharks, and six were tiger sharks.
Minister for Agriculture, Regional NSW and Western NSW Tara Moriarty backed the programs saying the duration the nets are in place avoids the majority of the whale migration season.
"[Nets] are fitted with acoustic devices designed to deter marine mammals from interacting with them," she said.
"The NSW government will continue to listen to coastal councils and their communities to ensure that local preferences are balanced against effective, evidence-based shark mitigation for beachgoers."
Marine biologist Lawrence Chlebeck from Humane Society International Australia disagrees that shark net alternatives are not safe enough yet.
He pointed to an almost $90 million spend by the former Coalition government on shark mitigation, including smart drum lines that can tag and track sharks, drone surveillance, and the SharkSmart education program.
"These are all much more effective at reducing the risk of shark bite," Mr Chlebeck said.
"It is just hanging on to this nearly 100-year-old program that we're having trouble letting go of."
Shadow environment minister Kellie Sloane urged the government to continue investing in technology to reduce reliance on nets.
"The government has a role to play in helping the community become more involved in this process though education and awareness, as well as localised trials of different mitigation approaches," Ms Sloane said.
Mr Chlebeck said the nets provided "a false sense of security" because sharks could swim "under, over and around" the meshing.
"They're only about 100 to 150 metres in length. It's like using a small facial tissue to be your fly screen," he said.
But Mr Minns said he was not confident in the alternatives.
"We're not in a position at the moment where we can say hand on heart for this coming summer that these new technologies are as good a replacement as shark nets for Sydney beaches," he said.
According to the 2022-23 annual performance report, there was one "shark-human interaction" in a meshed beach area, but it happened mid-winter when the nets were absent.
When the nets were used, the environmental costs of the safety measure were evident.
Twenty-six per cent of animals caught last season were a threatened or protected species, including greynurse sharks, loggerhead turtles, dolphins, and seals.
Only 37 per cent of creatures entangled were released alive.
"It could even be argued that catching and killing wildlife right off the most popular beaches could be attracting these large animals to shore, and in fact, we have seen large shark bites taken out of some of these carcasses," Mr Chlebeck said.
"The nets do less than nothing, and anything in their place would be much more effective at reducing the risk, and we have those alternatives right now."