Untangle NSW from shark nets

Shark nets don’t work to keep swimmers and surfers safe, but they are very effective at killing marine animals.

In 2021/22 alone, 376 marine animals were caught in the shark nets at ocean beaches in Newcastle, Sydney and Wollongong. Sadly, 325 of the animals caught were not even target species, but all are precious and important for flourishing ocean ecosystems species. 203 animals caught were protected species. Of these, 156 were killed, including threatened turtle species and critically endangered grey nurse sharks.

There are much more effective ways to keep beaches safe without killing harmless marine life. Drones, personal shark deterrents, and education are all preferred by scientists and the public.

The tides are turning, and we are on the brink of persuading the NSW Government to pull the shark nets from NSW’s ocean beaches for good.

We need your help to keep the pressure on by writing to The Hon. Dugald Saunders, NSW Minister for Agriculture, and asking him to end the use of shark nets.

The Hon.

Dugald

Saunders

Minister for Agriculture

The Hon. Dugald Saunders ,
Minister for Agriculture

Dear Minister,	 

I write to encourage you and the NSW Government to end the use of lethal shark nets. They catch and kill hundreds of marine animals every year, nearly 400 in the last season alone, but provide nothing more than a false sense of security to the public.  

I know your Department has done a great job trialling new methods and technologies such as drones, SMART drumlines, and listening stations, and investing heavily in them to manage the risk of shark bite . I would much rather these modern, non-lethal measures be used for shark mitigation instead of the old net technology from the 1930s, which I know is not effective. 

I was thrilled to learn that other NSW residents have called for an end to the nets in the annual DPI shark net survey, and that every NSW coastal council that currently has shark nets have all requested that shark nets be removed in favour of these more effective, non-lethal shark bite risk reduction measures. 

I thank the NSW Government for its investment and progress in developing non-lethal technologies in the Shark Management Strategy to mitigate the risk of shark bites. I look forward to the Government relying on the use of drone technology, personal shark deterrents, alert systems and education as the main tools to reduce risk of shark bite.  

Should a decision be made to stop using the destructive shark nets, it will be a decision applauded and welcomed by so many of us here in NSW. I stand ready to congratulate you. 

There is no place for these nets anymore. The wildlife cost of the nets is too high and because they only offer a false sense of security they have no real benefit to ocean users. 

Improving the way shark bite risk is mitigated in NSW through the ending of outdated shark nets and implementation of modern and more effective technologies is better for our ocean, our marine wildlife, and public safety.

Thank you,

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Contact Us:

Phone:	(02) 9973-1728
Email:	a [email protected]
Mail:	Humane Society International PO BOX 439 Avalon, NSW 2107

*Likely effectiveness of netting or other capture programs as a shark hazard mitigation strategy in Western Australia (2012) – Associate Professor Daryl McPhee, Bond University

Image: HSI/AMCS/N McLachlan