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Laurence Chlebeck, from the Humane Society International, says the nets may not be very good at stopping target sharks but they are good at killing marine life. “The best guess I can give is some 20,000 marine animals have been killed in the program and what we’re now realising is that it’s for nothing more than a false sense of security,” Trebek says.

According to a recent Department of Primary Resources report on shark net performance, 376 marine animals were tangled in NSW nets in '21-22. That number included 51 “target sharks” and 325 “non-target animals”. Furthermore:

• The target sharks included 28 white sharks, 12 bull sharks, and 11 tiger sharks
• A fifth of the marine life caught in the NSW shark nets were threatened species
• They included 14 critically endangered grey nurse sharks, 19 vulnerable green turtles, 16 endangered leatherback turtles, and four endangered loggerhead turtles. 

While NSW battles against the shark net tide, so too does QLD. In July, outcry rang through Queensland as another whale was caught in shark netting on the coast. The humpback was the third whale to get entangled in shark nets in Queensland this week – two of those at Kirra Beach on the Gold Coast. It was the fifth whale entanglement off the Queensland coast this year.

“In less than 72 hours, at the same beach, in the same shark net, another whale is entangled. It’s beyond a joke now,” said Dr Leonardo Guida, a shark specialist at the Australian Marine Conservation Society, who was at the scene this morning. Guida said the evidence for removing the nets was “overwhelming” and he found it “unbelievable” that whale entanglements continued to be allowed to happen every year.

Vanessa Pirotta, a postdoctoral researcher and wildlife scientist at Macquarie University, said she believed it was likely the refusal to remove the nets may be “politically driven”, particularly as scientists continue to work out why shark bites have increased since 1971.

“There is this conflict between the perception of public safety by having them there, and it means their removal might cause some worry,” she said. “On the one hand we want to offer people this sense of protection, and then on the other no one wants entanglements.

“The reality, however, is that they don’t actually cover the entire beach; the sharks can swim around and underneath them. They are outdated technology, and unfortunately there are a number of consequences to marine life.”

We share our waters... It's time to figure out a better solution.

Get involved in your local #CoastcareWeek22 activities, supporting marine life and it's beauty! 

TurtleWatch Beach Clean - Paradise Point, QLD | Dec 10th 7:30am-10:30am
Guided turtles walks will run simultaneously whilst rubbish is removed from turtle nesting habitats. As we collect rubbish, a TurtleWatch representative will run through how to conduct TurtleWalk so attendees can conduct their own independently and contribute to turtle data! Read more

Beach Safety Session (Ages 12+), Gold Coast QLD - Dec 10th 1pm-4pm
Join in a Free three-hour water safety program held in collaboration with Life Saving Victoria for people who live, study, work or recreate in Wyndham aged 12 years and above! Try a number of fun activities including a water safety talk, lifejackets, rescues, board paddling and beach games. Be prepared to get wet! Activities are specifically designed for non swimmers/ those with low swimming confidence with all equipment able to be used in shin/knee deep water where required. Read more