{"id":5306,"date":"2025-04-09T16:00:55","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T16:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/republicanstradetoday.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/09\/the-tide-is-turning-on-shark-nets-at-sydneys-famed-beaches\/"},"modified":"2025-04-09T16:00:55","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T16:00:55","slug":"the-tide-is-turning-on-shark-nets-at-sydneys-famed-beaches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/republicanstradetoday.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/09\/the-tide-is-turning-on-shark-nets-at-sydneys-famed-beaches\/","title":{"rendered":"The tide is turning on shark nets at Sydney\u2019s famed beaches"},"content":{"rendered":"

In late November, a gaggle of open-water swimmers set out from Sydney\u2019s Bondi Beach. About 500 meters (1,600 feet) from shore, they stopped and formed a line 150 meters (about 500 feet) long, treading water above the length of the beach\u2019s shark net. <\/p>\n

They hoped to demonstrate that the length of the net paled in comparison to that of the world-famous kilometer-long beach. And that if they could easily bypass the net, sharks can too. <\/p>\n

Miller was out of town the day of the protest, but she\u2019s among a growing group of swimmers, surfers, animal welfare advocates, and others vocally opposed to shark nets, which have been used at Sydney\u2019s beaches every summer since 1937. <\/p>\n

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A hammerhead shark entangled in a shark net at Palm Beach, one of Sydney’s northern beaches, in 2019.<\/span> <\/div>
N. McLachlan\/Humane World for Animals\/AMCS<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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A grey nurse shark entangled in a shark net in New South Wales.<\/span> <\/div>
NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development \u2013 acquired under GIPA \/ Humane World for Animals<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Opponents of the nets \u2013 which are installed at 51 beaches between Newcastle and Wollongong \u2013 argue they are ineffective, outdated, and harmful to the ocean ecosystem. They say nets provide swimmers with a false sense of security. Some academic studies back up claims that the nets are not effective at keeping people safe. <\/p>\n

From September 2023 to April 2024, 255 marine creatures were entangled in shark nets in New South Wales (NSW). But only 15 of those animals were \u201ctarget species\u201d like great white, tiger and bull sharks. The rest were rays, turtles, dolphins, fish like longtail tuna, and sharks not considered dangerous. <\/p>\n

This year, amid growing opposition to the nets, they were removed on March 31, a month earlier than normal, due to increased turtle activity in April. <\/p>\n

And in recent months, in response to a survey sent out by the NSW government, asking local authorities to vote on the use of shark nets, none of the eight councils where shark nets are used elected to continue their use next season, according to Humane World for Animals. <\/p>\n

Now, the state government is set to decide if shark nets have a future in NSW. <\/p>\n

Politics over nets<\/h2>\n

Going to the beach is a popular pastime in Australia, where almost 90% of the population lives within 50 kilometers (30 miles) of the coast. The country\u2019s shoreline is also home to several species of sharks, including tiger, bull, and great white sharks, that are most frequently involved in serious injuries to humans. <\/p>\n

NSW has a comprehensive shark management program to try to keep beachgoers safe. <\/p>\n

In addition to nets, authorities use technologies like SMART drumlines, which consist of a buoy and a baited hook. When an animal is caught, authorities are alerted. Non-target animals are released, and sharks of target species are tagged and released farther out to sea. Later, if a tagged shark swims close to shore, the public is alerted via an app and updates to an X account. Drone patrols are also a common sight over the state\u2019s beaches. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not something that we considered flippantly, it\u2019s not something that\u2019s a response to special interests,\u201d he added. \u201cIt is something that is based on science.\u201d <\/p>\n

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Over the last 10 years there were, on average, 2.8 annual fatalities from shark incidents <\/strong>\ufeffnationally, 20 cases a year where people were injured, and seven a year where the person was uninjured, according to the Taronga Conservation Society Australia, which works on the Australian Shark-Incident Database. <\/p>\n

For comparison, in 2023, 125 people drowned in the ocean, according to Surf Life Saving Australia, and there were 1,266 fatalities on Australian roads over the same period, according to official data. <\/p>\n

Since the meshing program began in 1937, there has only been one fatal shark incident at a netted beach, and that was back in 1951, says Green, of NSW DPIRD. He points to a 1997 study that says when they were first introduced, shark nets in NSW, Queensland and South Africa reduced the rate of shark incidents by about 90%. <\/p>\n

He added that to date, there has not been a shark bite while drones have been monitoring a beach. (Officials have been trialing the use of drones to detect sharks at NSW beaches since 2017). <\/p>\n

The tensions over the future of shark nets were on full display in late February at a local council meeting in Randwick, home to Coogee, another popular Sydney beach, just a few kilometers south of Bondi. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey do not form a barrier, deter, deflect, or stop sharks from swimming at beaches,\u201d Lauren Sandeman, a PhD researcher in human and shark interactions, told the council. \u201cTheir goal is to entangle and kill whatever swims into the net.\u201d <\/p>\n

For others, the risk of changing tack is too great. \u201cIf these shark nets were removed and some person is getting mauled by a shark and being killed, I couldn\u2019t face that person\u2019s partner or parent,\u201d said councilor Noel D\u2019Souza, before casting his vote to keep the nets in the water. <\/p>\n

In the end, eight councilors voted to do away with shark nets, beating out the seven councilors who want them to stay. <\/p>\n

Saving Norman<\/h2>\n

The population of grey nurse sharks on Australia\u2019s East coast has dwindled to about 2,000 animals making them critically endangered. The sharks, which can grow over to over three meters (almost 10 feet) in length and have long, scraggly teeth visible even when their mouths are closed, are not considered a threat to divers and swimmers. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey have this ferocious look about them, and yet they\u2019re these cute, cuddly Labradors,\u201d says Sarah Han-de-Beaux, a Sydney-based free- and scuba diver, who frequently spots the sharks on her outings. <\/p>\n

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