Al-anwar Newspaper English news in Australia
A Sydney mayor whose council takes in Bondi Beach wants shark nets removed this summer despite just one fatal attack occurring on a protected beach since nets were introduced in NSW almost 100 years ago.
Several NSW councils and a few MPs have recently been lobbying the regime to travel without shark nets within the summer for the primary time since they were introduced in 1937.
Usually, 51 nets are installed on beaches between Newcastle and Wollongong from September to April.
The push to get rid of nets comes six months after diving instructor Simon Nellist, 35, was fatally mauled by a shark at unprotected Little Bay.
Waverley council mayor Paula Masselos told Sky News on Wednesday night her local people were “very concerned about the bycatch” in shark nets.
Host Chris Kenny asked: “You want the government to not put the nets during this summer?” to which Ms. Masselos replied: “Yeah.” “In the ten years to 2019, only 19 sharks that were actually dangerous to humans were actually caught within the nettings,” Ms. Masselos said.
“There were quite 140 non-target sharks and other marine species like dolphins, dugongs, and turtles that were actually caught in these nets.”
“The nets are only 150m long, they’re 6m high, and they are put at a depth of about 10m, so sharks after all can swim around, under, and over them. “Bondi is 1000m, Bronte is 200m, so shark nets really aren’t actually very effective, I don’t think, in actually stopping the sharks from coming in.
”Since nets were introduced within the 1930s there has been one fatal shark attack in NSW, in keeping with the NSW Department of Primary Industries.
“While the nets cannot provide a guarantee that a shark interaction will never happen, we believe they need to be effective in greatly reducing the potential number of interactions,” the agency has said.
Ms. Masselos said shark nets were the state government’s responsibility but said Waverley council would be introducing drones for lifeguards to own more comprehensive surveillance of beaches.
“The reality is we are in a very marine environment and that we share it,” she said.
