The home of some of Australia’s best-known beaches is inching closer to ditching shark nets as more communities voice concern about the century-old system.
NSW installs the barrier devices at 51 beaches each summer in an effort to protect swimmers and surfers.
But growing community concern about their effectiveness is leading more councils to press the state government to switch to non-lethal techniques, such as SMART drumlines which allow sharks to be intercepted, listening stations and drones.
Only 15 target sharks were caught by nets in the previous summer, compared to 109 other shark species and 29 turtles.
More than a third (36 per cent) of all animals caught by the nets were released alive.
Sutherland Shire, home to Cronulla Beach in Sydney’s east, is the latest council to tell the Labor government to ditch shark nets, with councillors voting unanimously to flip their position.
Those who changed direction cited overwhelming scientific evidence, Humane Society International marine campaigner Lauren Sanderman said.
“It really goes to show the momentum has swung in the opposite direction,” she said.
“We’ve got decades of evidence that culling sharks is not effective.”
Five of the seven other coastal councils have also told NSW they want nets removed.
“The premier said he wanted to listen to councils and they couldn’t be clearer,” Ms Sanderman said.
Lake Macquarie City Council didn’t adopt a position on shark nets but called on the NSW Primary Industries department to provide information on the impacts on swimmer safety if nets were removed.
“As swimmer safety is the objective of the installation of the proposed measures it is important to understand what impact, if any, will result from any changes,” the council wrote in a survey response.
Western Australia dumped lethal drumlines in 2021 in favour of non-lethal management, including subsidies for personal shark deterrent devices.
Queensland has a similar program to NSW, with nets mixed in with newer non-lethal technologies.
That includes drone surveillance, community education, tagging and tracking systems and shark listening stations.
Sue Heins oversees a Sydney council area stretching from Manly to Palm Beach, the long-time home of television drama Home and Away.
The Northern Beaches mayor said she would be thrilled if the government ditched shark nets tomorrow, saying regular users of the beaches did not want them.
“It’s like a hanky floating out there in the ocean,” Mayor Heins told AAP.
“Each council knows their beaches, our area is not a nursery.
“We’d be happy with no nets whatsoever, we’ve been using the SMART drumlines for quite a while … we know they work.”
No decision had been made about the future of shark nets across NSW beaches, the state’s Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said.
“The NSW government committed to engaging with local councils across the 2024-25 season on shark management,” she said in a statement
“This consultation is ongoing, and we will not be predetermining the outcome of it.”
NSW will remove its shark nets a month earlier than in previous years this summer, with the season set to end on March 31.
