Back in November, more than 100 Sydney swimmers donned their togs and swam out into the ocean beyond Bondi Beach – forming a line to represent the length of the shark net installed to keep sharks from entering the waters. The aim of the protest was to demonstrate the fact that the net doesn’t span the length of the beach, meaning its proposed function of keeping sharks away isn’t entirely achieved. The protest by Nets Out Now – an organisation dedicated to campaigning for the removal of nets along the Australian coast – wasn’t the first, with many Sydneysiders (including government officials) long opposing the use of shark nets. Despite calls to have the nets removed, the NSW Government has confirmed that they’ll be staying in place at Sydney beaches this summer – here’s the lowdown.
The main reason that shark nets are opposed by Sydneysiders is their impact on harmless wildlife, with Nets Out Now describing the nets as “lethal”. Though they’re installed with the purpose of preventing sharks from making their way to beaches where people are swimming, in doing so they capture and kill an estimated 134 harmless marine creatures every year, including dolphins, turtles and whales. And though the government has confirmed that nets will be staying in place this summer, they’ve detailed an action plan to minimise the impact on “non-target” marine life.
“There are currently no planned changes to the management of shark nets along NSW beaches," says Minister for Agriculture, Tara Moriarty. "The Government’s priority continues to be the safety of beach goers. We cannot remove the nets or change our strategy without being confident about this.”
As it stands, the NSW Shark Management Program approach includes:
- drone surveillance at 50 beaches;
- shark nets at 51 beaches;
- 37 tagged shark listening stations; and
- 305 SMART (Shark Management Alert in Real Time) drumlines in operation all year round.
To deter animals from coming into contact with the nets, acoustic warning devices including “dolphin pingers” and “whale alarms” are fitted onto the nets, but these aren’t entirely successful at preventing animals from getting caught. Last year, major changes were made to the NSW shark net program – with the nets removed a month earlier than usual in response to increased turtle activity in April, as well as increased frequency of net inspections. During February and March, the nets are now checked every second day for trapped marine life, and drones are used to check the nets on the days that they’re not manually checked.
You can learn more about the NSW Shark Management Program over here.
Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, straight to your inbox.