It's not actually summer yet, but beach season has just officially begun, as the red and yellow flags went up and the Surf Life Saving patrol season commenced over the weekend. The other thing that's been put back up recently: shark nets. The NSW Government made a call to halt their trial removal of shark nets at particular NSW beaches, as they pause to reflect on a new plan of action after a number of shark attacks.
There are shark nets at 51 beaches across NSW, and three local councils – Northern Beaches, Waverley and Central Coast – were given the directive to roll back shark nets and remove them from beaches as a trial. This came about following heated debate that shark nets are ineffective, cruel to sea life (the controversial 'gillnets' are designed to reduce shark activity by killing animals – including dolphins and whales), and expensive (they cost taxpayers about $21 million a year, with seemingly little payoff). There are also views that the nets actually attract sharks to beaches, because other sea life get trapped in the nets and sharks come along to feed on them.
However, Premier Chris Minns has since halted the shark net removal trial in the wake of the devastating recent shark attack at Long Reef Beach on Sydney's Northern Beaches.
As the government continues to look into all options when it comes to keeping NSW beaches safe for the community, plenty of external pundits are weighing in on the best way forward.
An alternative option is using a smart 'drumlines', which would send signals to contractors who can tag and then release sharks out to sea. identify sharks by tagging them and then safely rerouting them back out to sea. There is also surveillance technology that uses drones and sonar to track and alert the authorities in real-time about shark activity.
In 2023-24, smart drumlines, drones and listening stations effectively picked up way more sharks than shark nets have.
There's currently no timeline on when a new plan will be made or shark nets will again be considered for removal. Your best bet is swimming between the flags, avoiding dawn and dusk swimming, and obeying lifeguard instructions.
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