2018-08-17
Australian Greens spokesperson for Healthy Oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, has welcomed the decision by the NSW Government to end the use of shark nets in NSW, and calls upon the NSW and Queensland Government to move to replace the remaining shark nets with new technologies.
Senator Whish-Wilson said, "The NSW Government has finally engaged with the science of mitigating risks from sharks by withdrawing the shark nets from the north coast. Now it's time to phase them out elsewhere.
"Shark nets are not the barrier that you imagine around local beach baths, they are mesh nets that are designed to catch and kill marine creatures whether they are sharks, dolphins or turtles. They don't act as a barrier: sharks can swim under, over and around them.
"The Senate conducted an exhaustive investigation into shark mitigation options and found that shark nets do not make it safe for ocean users but do cause extensive damage to our marine life.
"An array of new and emerging technologies, as identified in our Senate report, should be deployed as we phase out the remaining shark nets from around the country.
"The rationale for these mesh nets has been exposed as being baseless. The main determinant of beach safety is patrolled beaches, not shark nets.
"It's time for Queensland and NSW to move to phase out the remaining shark nets to boost the health of our oceans and improve safety for water users," he concluded.