Shark nets cause uproar… again
September 1 marked the start of the annual eight-month Shark Meshing Program (SMP) by the NSW Department of Primary Industries.
The controversial program consists of the implementation of shark nets along 51 beaches between Newcastle and Wollongong.
Last month, over 100 protesters gathered on Manly Beach calling for all shark nets along the NSW coast to be ‘scrapped immediately’, due to their ‘indiscriminate’ killing nature.
Protesters included a coalition of environment groups, including The Greens, Animal Justice Party, Surfrider Foundation Australia, Humane Society International, Sea Shepherd, and the Australian Marine Conservation Society.
NSW Greens’ Cate Faehrmann said that the death toll of non-target animals killed in the nets and the ongoing risk to the environment is far too high.
“This is what somebody thought up 100 years ago,” she said.
“Last year’s Shark Meshing Program is an appalling indictment on the overall program. It caught more threatened species than the targeted sharks. They’re killing indiscriminately.”
Data from the DPI reveals that of the 376 animals left entangled in the nets during 2021-22, 325 (86 per cent) were non-target animals such as dolphins, whales, turtles, and stingrays.
Introduced in 1937, the nets were designed to protect bathers from target animals including white, bull, and tiger sharks during the warmer months of the year.
“We’ve got things called smart boys, we’ve got drones, we’ve got community observer programs, we’ve got things people can wear to deter sharks, we’ve got education programs.” Ms Faehrmann expressed.
“Our government continues to put in place these death traps, which don’t protect people. Research has shown that almost half of the animals caught in those nets are caught on the beach side of the net. They offer a false sense of security.”
It is understood that despite the efforts of protesters, the nets which encompass most of Pittwater’s ocean-side beaches will remain in place from now up until April next year.