Shark nets will be monitored by a fleet of drones under reforms to protect beachgoers this summer, the NSW government announced, but environmental advocacy groups say the measures don’t go far enough and are failing to protect marine wildlife.
The $21.5 million program will cover 25 local government areas along the NSW coastline, from Tweed to Bega.
Components of the program include a new drone surveillance initiative, 37 tagged shark listening stations, 305 SMART (shark management alert in real time) drumlines across 19 local government areas, shark nets at 51 beaches, and $500,000 in funding towards Surfing NSW for training and support services.
The program will also introduce a number of new measures on a trial basis to mitigate the environmental impact of shark nets, with a particular focus on protecting the NSW coastline’s turtle population.
The NSW government will remove the nets a month earlier in April 2025 to protect the turtle population during peak activity, add lights to the nets to deter turtle entanglements, and increase the frequency of net inspections and drone surveillance operations.
Lawrence Chlebeck, a marine biologist with the Humane Society International, said the new measures do mark an improvement in government conservation efforts, particularly in their protection of native turtles, but were still disappointing.
“The new measures enacted by the NSW State Government, with regard to the shark meshing program, is definitely a step in the right direction, things like reducing the duration of the season by a month, checking the nets more frequently and using the drones to check for marine wildlife entanglements,” he said. “These are all very positive steps, and we should definitely acknowledge that.”
[We have] taken significant steps to increase the program’s safeguards for marine animals.
But, he added: “It is just not enough. When we think about the fact that the nets are incapable of reducing the risk of a shark bite, yet still, seven months out of the year, they’re going to be in the water, entangling and killing threatened and critically endangered wildlife, these steps this year are just not enough.”
Figures released by the Department of Primary Industries just days after the new program was announced revealed NSW nets caught 255 sharks during the 2023-24 summer season, but only 15 were from targeted shark species. Of those caught 24 per cent came from protected or threatened species.
In a statement accompanying the announcement Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty reaffirmed the NSW Government’s goal of listening to community feedback while ensuring the continued safety of NSW beachgoers.
“The NSW Government’s priority is the safety of beachgoers, at the same time we are committed to protecting our states marine life,” she said.
“Importantly, this year we have responded to community feedback and taken significant steps to increase the program’s safeguards for marine animals.”
“As we map the future of this program we will listen to local communities and consider the best available evidence to ensure we are striking the right balance at our beaches.”
Image credit: JohnCarnemolla/iStock.
