Shark nets to stay, NSW government says

The fate of shark nets on our most famous beach has been decided after the Sydney mayor whose electorate includes Bondi Beach asked for them be removed— prompting warnings that swimmers would die.

Shark nets will remain on Australia’s most famous beach despite calls from the Green and Labor-controlled Waverley Council to rip them out.

The NSW Government said it is committed to the shark nets amid warnings that swimmers will die if they are ­removed at the request of the Waverley mayor whose electorate includes Bondi Beach.

“People will die, no doubt about it,” surfing expert Fred Pawle said on Thursday.

“Nets are the cheapest and safest method of protecting people from sharks in the world, with a proven track ­record.”

Mr Pawle said the push from Waverley mayor Paula Masselos to remove the nets was concerning because there had been only one fatal attack on a pro­tected beach since nets were introduced in NSW ­almost 100 years ago.

Shark nets will stay on at Bondi Beach despite calls to remove them, the government has confirmed.

Ms Masselos has said that her local community was “very concerned about the bycatch” in shark nets with only 19 sharks thatwere actually dangerous to humans caught in the nets in the 10 years to 2019.

She said there had been more than 140 non-target sharks and other marine species such as dolphins and turtles caught in thenets.

Waverley Mayor Ms Masselos wants nets removed.

Former Waverley mayor, Liberal Sally Betts, said their job was to protect residents and that Ms Masselos had not been mayor during the last “traumatic” attack on a surfer at Bondi in 2009.

Ms Betts said the Liberal councillors were against the proposal.

“People who come to swim want to be safe, we are not in favour of removing the nets,” Ms Betts said.

There have been 1309 sharks tagged as part of the NSW Government’s shark management program, including 858 great whites, 296 tiger sharks and 155 bull sharks, ­according to the Department of Primary Industry.

Former mayor of Waverley Council Sally Betts. Picture: John Appleyard

According to the Inter­national Shark Attack File, Australian waters show the second-highest number of ­attacks globally and with the most fatalities.

Minister for Agriculture Dugald Saunders said the government’s position was shark nets would stay as part of the record $85 million funding announced in this year’s budget to beef-up the shark management program.

“The shark meshing program is act­ively managed to minimise the impact on marine animals while protecting swimmers at some of NSW’s most popular beaches,” he said.

Bondi Mayor wants shark nets scrapped

A Sydney mayor whose council takes in Bondi Beach wants shark nets removed this summer despite only one fatal attack occurring on a pro­tected beach since nets were introduced in NSW almost 100 years ago.

Several NSW councils and some MPs have recently been lobbying the state government to go without shark nets in the summer for the first 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 remove 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 community was “very concerned about the bycatch” in shark nets.

Shark nets should be removed from beaches

including Bondi, Waverley’s mayor Paula Masselos has claimed.

Host Chris Kenny asked: “You want the state government to not put the nets in this summer?” to which Ms Masselos replied: “Yeah.”

“In the 10 years to 2019, only 19 sharks that were actually dangerous to humans were actually caught in the nettings,” Ms Masselos said.

“There were more than 140 non-target sharks and other marine species such as 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 in fact 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 in the 1930s there has been one fatal shark attack in NSW, according to the NSW Department of Primary Industries.

Diver Simon Nellist was killed in a shark attack at Little Bay in February 2021.

“While the nets cannot provide a guarantee that a shark interaction will never happen, we believe they have been ­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 have more comprehensive surveillance of beaches.

“The reality is we are in a marine environment and we share it,” she said.

Originally published as Shark nets to stay, NSW government says