Which nsw beaches have shark nets

Trial one was undertaken from 8 December and 30 May and trial two was undertaken from 23 November and 2 May Agreements and Reviews. Since the introduction of the shark meshing program in , there have been 36 unprovoked shark interactions at meshed beaches: 1 fatality; 24 serious or minor injuries; and 11 incidents where the person was not bitten.

North coast Trial or research? These are among the findings of a study published on Wednesday in the People and Nature journal that examined the Shark Meshing Program, first introduced in The nets cover 51 beaches between Wollongong and Newcastle, including Sydney. The paper found despite a rapid increase in people living near the coast - and an estimated faster rise in beach visits - the chances of a shark bite remained minimal even at beaches without nets.

Even the beaches with mesh recorded at least 24 shark bites and one fatality - at Merewether Beach at Newcastle in Most nets are not actually enclosures, allowing sharks and other animals to swim over or around them. The number of deaths nationally averages about 1 per year.

In NSW, there have been 66 fatalities from shark bites over the past years. The nets, though, did catch many animals, with the bulk of them not among the three targeted species: great whites, bull and tiger sharks. Of marine animals caught in nets in , - or about 94 per cent - were so-called bycatch. Some of the animals caught were endangered, such as grey nurse sharks.

The council indicated it did not support the use of shark mesh nets, personal shark deterrent devices or SMART drumlines in Sydney except for research purposes. It said lifeguards provided ongoing monitoring of shark activity and respond where required - although the council has withdrawn lifeguard patrols from Tamarama Beach in winter.

Mr Chlebeck said the state government was not prepared to pay for better options to minimise the risk of shark attacks. Please try again later. The Sydney Morning Herald. By Andrew Taylor March 21, — Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later.