Waverley Council Mayor Paula Massellos and a state MP joined anti-shark nets campaigners at Bondi Beach this week urging the New South Wales government to ban the practice.
The contentious shark nets have been deployed at 51 beaches along the coast from Newcastle to Wollongong, as part of the government’s Shark Management Program introduced in July.
Campaigners claim that the nets fail to protect swimmers as they offer a “false sense of security” all while killing marine life, including endangered species.
“There’s no science that says shark nets and killing sharks make beaches safer,” Jonathan Clark from Sea Shepherd Australia said.
Mayor Masselos also criticised the outdated practice, stating, “The shark nets were instituted in 1937 and they’ve been nothing but an absolutely devastating instrument of death for many non-target species in the water.”
Due to increased turtle activity, Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty declared the government would remove the nets by March 31, 2025. However, Cr Masselos said more action is needed.
Nicola Beynon from Humane Society International highlighted the collateral damage caused by the nets, noting, “The majority of species trapped by the nets were non-target animals. It’s dolphins, it’s turtles, it’s rays, it’s harmless species of shark. It’s critically endangered species.”
Source: ABC News.
