‘Outdated relic’: Grim reality of shark nets as surfer death reignites debate
A week after a surfer was killed in a shark attack on a NSW beach, experts have revealed the grim reality of shark nets and their effectiveness against further attacks.
A debate about shark nets has been reignited a week after a shark attack claimed the life of an experienced surfer at a Sydney beach.
Mercury Psillakis, 57, suffered critical injuries after he was bitten by a large great white shark at Long Reef Beach, near Dee Why, shortly before 10am last Saturday.
He was killed at a beach fitted with shark nets.
Shark nets have been installed across the NSW coast, with the government announcing a trial to remove the nets from three Sydney beaches.
“The NSW government will not proceed with removing shark nets this summer. It would be the wrong decision to remove them at this time,” Premier Chris Minns told The Daily Telegraph this week.
“The nets are back in place … and they will remain there.”
But after Mr Psillakis’ death, the trial removal of shark nets was scrapped, reigniting the debate about shark nets, their effectiveness and impact on the environment.
What is a shark net?
Shark nets are used to intercept target sharks – white sharks, tiger sharks and bull sharks – as they move through the water.
The nets are intended to disrupt a shark’s path and move them away from beachgoers.
First introduced to NSW beaches in 1922 following a fatal shark attack at Coogee Beach, the nets are installed about 500m offshore and designed to capture a target shark that becomes entangled.
Once the animal has been captured and tagged, they are relocated.
“Typically 150m long and 6m deep, they are suspended from the surface by floats and anchored to the sea floor,” Macquarie University School of Natural Sciences professor Culum Brown told NewsWire.
Do shark nets work?
Shark nets are installed across 51 beaches between Newcastle and Wollongong.
The safety measure aims to reduce the chance of target shark interactions with people in the water.
However, the shark nets cannot deter sharks entirely, Professor Brown said.
When asked if shark nets worked, he said “the simple answer is no, not really”.
“(Shark nets) are an outdated, ineffective method that are long overdue to be replaced,” he said.
“Statistical analysis conducted a couple of years ago shows there is no difference in unprovoked interactions with humans and sharks between netted and unnetted beaches.”
He said the shark nets did not stop sharks from interacting with swimmers and surfers.
“Importantly, they are not a barrier,” he said. “They are a fishing net that captures animals that become entangled.”
What happens after the animal is caught?
Once sharks are caught in the net, experts suggest there’s a high chance of the animal dying before they’re captured and released.
Between the 2024 and 2025 season, the 51 shark nets captured 24 target sharks, about 40 per cent of which were tangled on the beachside of the net.
“Sharks can swim over (nets), under them and around them,” Professor Brown said.
“The majority of animals captured in the shark nets drown, including sharks.
“Last season, about 200 other animals were captured. Only 33 per cent were released alive. Chances are they died shortly afterwards.”
Professor Brown said only one of the four bull sharks captured by the net was alive, while both tiger sharks were dead and “56 per cent of the white sharks were dead”.
Do shark nets capture other marine life?
Shark nets do not just entangle target sharks but also scores of other marine life.
“Science has long told us that shark nets do not protect bathers and cause huge collateral damage to the marine ecosystem,” Professor Brown said.
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPI) data indicates that other marine life, including dolphins, turtles and critically endangered species, often drown after becoming caught in the nets.
“Twenty per cent of the animals caught in shark nets are threatened species,” Professor Brown said.
“Ninety per cent of the animals caught are non-target species, including turtles, dolphins, whales and a heap of protected rays and sharks (grey nurse and hammerheads).
Can shark nets attract more sharks?
Professor Brown said the nets, although intended to keep animals such as sharks away, may actually trigger a larger shark presence.
“There is some question about whether they might actually attract sharks because of the other dead animals trapped in the net,” he told NewsWire.
It was a sentiment backed by Humane World for Animals Australia marine biologist Lawrence Chlebeck, who argued that shark nets were a “relic of the past that do not protect people from sharks”.
“In fact, from a scientific perspective, images of carcasses pulled from nets with shark bites indicate that they are attracting sharks to Sydney’s beaches,” he said.
Are there other effective ways to stop sharks?
While shark bites are rare, there are other preventive measures in place to keep sharks at bay, such as shark-management-alert-in-real time (SMART) drum lines.
SMART drum lines feature an anchor, two buoys and a satellite-linked GPS communications unit, which is attached to a baited hook.
When a shark bites the bait, a triggering magnet alerts a boat crew of a nearby animal, which is then tagged and relocated 1km offshore.
“The SMART drumlines deployed over the same period caught about 400 target sharks, with very little bycatch and far higher survival rates,” Professor Brown said.
“We also have drones operating at many beaches that provide early warning to bathers. These drones could easily be automated.”
Removing shark nets
Mr Chlebeck said scrapping the removal of shark nets “does not make sense for public safety or wildlife”.
“The NSW government’s divestment from outdated and ineffective shark nets like those installed at Dee Why is long overdue and the $2.6m spent annually on their deployment at beaches from Newcastle to Wollongong should instead be invested in providing more drones for shark surveillance – measures that actually reduce the risk of shark bite,” he said.
Professor Brown said the government had to be “realistic” about the threat of sharks at beaches.
“Around two people are killed by sharks annually,” he told NewsWire.
“More than 300 people drowned last year, 1300 died in car accidents. The risk of dying by shark bite is ridiculously small given the millions of people swimming at our beaches.”
He said there needed to be a “rational perspective on the actual risk” of shark attacks and the use of nets, arguing the government is “wasting taxpayers’ money on something that does not pose a significant risk and we have limited control over”.
Originally published as ‘Outdated relic’: Grim reality of shark nets as surfer death reignites debate
