Humane World for Animals ired by misinformation on shark net removal and swimmer safety

Humane World for Animals has spotlighted an article appearing in The Daily Telegraph this week, airing concerns over the removal of shark nets, with the conservation group noting this is exactly the type of misinformation threatening Australia's marine life and the safety of swimmers.

The article quotes South Maroubra SLSC Club President, Paul Fownes, who states that alternatives to shark nets (SMART drumlines and drones) were not up to the task of protecting swimmers and specifically the nippers that fall under his responsibility.

Fownes did not refer to shark listening stations which detect tagged sharks and is one of the alternatives to nets.

Lawence Chlebeck, a marine biologist and shark expert with Humane World for Animals Australia notes “we absolutely understand Mr Fownes’ concerns but unfortunately, they are based on emotion, not fact.

“Our greatest concern is the false sense of security the nets give and people assuming they’re safe, especially those like Mr. Fownes who is responsible for the safety of children.

“Shark nets do not work the way many people assume they do. They are not a barrier to the open ocean but are merely 150 metres long and six metres high and are anchored in 12 metres of water a few hundred metres from shore. Logic will tell you that any shark can swim over, under or around a net, particularly at a beach like Maroubra which stretches for about a kilometre.”

To prove the point, almost half of the sharks caught in the shark nets are caught on the beach side of the net.

Chlebeck added “If Mr. Fownes is relying on the shark net to keep nippers safe, then we urge him to look further into the issue and help promote the use of modern alternatives like drone surveillance, shark listening stations and SMART drumlines which are consistently shown to outperform shark nets by an astronomical rate.

“If we truly want to put people’s safety first, then we need to stop putting our trust in 100-year-old technology and start relying on modern safety measures.”

Shark nets were introduced to Sydney beaches in 1937.

The nets, not to be confused with netted enclosures at harbour beaches, are located off 51 beaches between Newcastle and Wollongong. In the most recent figures, from 2023, only 15 targeted sharks - white, tiger, and bull - were caught in the nets. The remaining 240 animals included turtles, rays, dolphins and harmless sharks.

Nets just on Sydney beaches caught zero target sharks during the 22/23 shark net season and only three the following (23/24) season. During that time, those same nets caught 124 rays, turtles, dolphins and smaller sharks, essentially “ringing the dinner bell”  for larger animals that prey on animals caught in the nets.

The nets are a public safety liability.

Chlebeck advised “No-one wants to see a harmless ray, dolphin or a turtle killed in a net. But unfortunately it is happening most days. We also know that vulnerable species like the grey nurse shark are regularly entangled and even Sydney’s little penguins. 

“This is a huge price to pay for a misguided assumption of safety. There is no point in just feeling safe, we actually need to be safe. Shark nets don’t keep us safe. They kill indiscriminately and offer nothing more than a false sense of security.

“Let’s stop arguing with emotion and let’s start looking at the science. Our safety depends on it, and so do the lives of innocent marine life.”

Ahead of the 2024/25 summer season and with ineffective and redundant shark nets returning to 51 ocean beaches on the NSW coast on 1st September 2024, Humane World for Animals and Australian Marine Conservation Society called on the NSW Government to make retiring shark nets a priority. In early August 2024, the NSW Government announced they would shorten the shark net season by one month because of the toll on endangered turtles.

As of February 2025, following the NSW Government’s consultation with coastal councils over the future of shark nets at their ocean beaches, none of the eight councils with shark nets have supported their continued use. 

The Humane World for Animals notes that the overwhelming lack of support for shark nets from all affected councils now paves the way for the NSW Government to “announce a modern and effective shark safety program that dispenses with the destructive and ineffective nets.”

Image. Scalloped Hammerhead pup shark caught in shark net at Sydney's Palm Beach