Greens’ $60m plan to pull up ‘lethal’ shark nets on Qld beaches

Qld shark nets and drumlines may be a thing of the past, as calls grow to remove them.

Whale caught in shark net off Gold Coast. Photo: Twitter/Nine News Gold Coast

The Greens have unveiled a $60m plan to pull up “lethal” shark nets and drumlines they say are falsely protecting Queensland beachgoers from attacks.

The party has vowed to close loopholes in federal legislation that allow states including Queensland, NSW and WA to deploy the nets and drumlines.

Greens healthy oceans spokesman Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said it was “time to end the culture war on sharks”.

“Shark nets are lethal fisheries devices masquerading as sensible protective barriers for humans, but the truth is they merely give a false sense of security to ocean-goers while indiscriminately killing marine wildlife,” he said.

Senator Whish-Wilson said decades of data showed that, in NSW for example, 63 per cent of all shark bites had occurred at netted beaches.

“Meanwhile most marine wildlife captured in our shark nets are threatened or protected species, including whales, dolphins, and turtles,” he said.

“The federal government has a legal responsibility to protect endangered marine species, including those killed in shark nets – but shark nets won’t be removed until increased investment is made to keep ocean-goers safe. It’s time the federal government stopped palming this responsibility off to the states.

Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson. Picture: Linda Higginson

“That’s why the Greens are pushing the federal government to remove existing exemptions to state-controlled lethal shark net programs that risk federally protected species, and roll out modern-day alternatives to shark nets across Australia that better protect ocean-goers and the environment.

“These include shark shield personal deterrent devices, shark spotter programs, eco-shark barriers, and increased public education.

“The states can’t be left to roll these out alone when it’s the federal government that has the legal responsibility of protecting endangered marine wildlife.

“It’s possible to protect sharks and other marine wildlife in Australia, and protect the people who share the ocean with them. It’s time to end the culture war on sharks.

SeaWorld Rescue Crew work on freeing a humpback whale that became entangled in a shark net off Currumbin Beach, Gold Coast. Photo: Brendan Radke

“Safety in our oceans and the protection of vulnerable species aren’t binary options; both are possible and can be done much more effectively.”

Senator Whish-Wilson said the Greens would end federal exemptions for state shark control programs, while funding $50m over 10 years to “supercharge” research and development of nonlethal shark control measures.

The party would also fund $5m to establish a national sharks working group to look at multiple ways to make oceans safer.

A total of 959 sharks, some as big as 5m, were caught by Queensland shark nets and drumlines last year, up from 753 the previous year.

There have been only two fatal shark attacks on the 86 Queensland beaches protected by shark nets and drumlines since the shark control program was introduced in 1962.

Gold Coast real estate agent Nick Slater was fatally mauled in a horrific attack while surfing popular Greenmount Beach on the southern Glitter Strip in September 2020.

An analysis by marine conservation group the Envoy Foundation has revealed 159 whales have become trapped in nets and lines since the state’s shark control program began.

There were multiple whale entrapments during this year’s humpback migration season off the Queensland and NSW coasts, with Sea World rescuers involved in dangerous missions to free the animals.

Originally published as Greens’ $60m plan to pull up ‘lethal’ shark nets on Qld beaches