Sydney beaches, such as Bondi, may go without shark nets this summer. Photo: Panyawat Auitpol // Unsplash
Shark nets have long been employed at beaches in New South Wales, Australia, as a means of protecting beachgoers from harmful shark encounters. With the reinstallation of shark nets looming, several NSW councils, including the one responsible for Bondi beach, are pushing for alternatives to protect their constituents, as the Guardian Australia reports.
Shark nets are a controversial shark mitigation measure. Their effectiveness at protecting humans is notoriously difficult to evaluate, and they often catch and kill non-target species such as dolphins and turtles. Proponents claim the nets are a necessary form of protection for human beach users, while opponents counter that they are ineffective and cause an undue amount of damage to marine ecosystems.
Shark nets were first installed off Bondi’s shore in 1937 and have been used every summer since, apart from three years during World War II. The nets are typically used between September and April, leaving just five weeks until they are due to go up at 51 beaches between Newcastle and Wollongong.
The state government says it will not make a decision on whether the nets will be rolled out until it hears from eight coastal councils. Four of those councils told The Guardian Australia they would advocate for an alternative to New South Wales’s shark meshing program.
“We’re in the 21st century and there’s got to be a better way,” said Paula Masselos, the mayor of Waverley, which has previously voted to oppose the nets. “We’re happy to work with the department to work out better options.”
Masselos also told The Guardian the nets weren’t effective because they were only in the water for six months a year and were not tall or long enough to shield an entire beach.
On the other end of the issue, Waverley’s longest-serving councillor and former mayor Sally Betts said it would be “really foolhardy” not to have the nets in place this year. She and her fellow Liberal councillors maintain that, until there are other, better options available, the nets should continue seeing use.
According to reports, the government has already called for tenders for this year’s shark meshing program, but a spokesperson for the Department of Primary Industries on Friday said no decisions have been made about whether the nets would be used.
“This decision will be made by the NSW government following the council consultation processes,” the spokesperson said.
