The New South Wales Government voted down a Greens amendment that would have created compensatory measures to offset marine species killed in shark nets between Wollongong and Newcastle.
“The Government has key targets on maintaining and increasing marine biodiversity, yet it refuses to compensate the loss of threatened marine species at the hands of shark nets,” says Greens MP Ian Cohen.
“Shark nets which are installed on 51 Sydney beaches during September and April killed 1,485 marine animals between 1995 and 2004. According to the Government’s own Scientific Committee Report in 2003 at least six vulnerable marine species were being caught in the shark nets each year.”
“The Greens amendment simply asked that the Government take action to increase aquatic reserves or Marine Park areas to make up for the dugongs, loggerhead turtles, leathery turtles, green turtles, and humpback whales killed in shark nets.”
The Government claimed during debate of Fisheries Management and Planning Legislation Amendment (Shark Meshing) Bill that by removing full environmental impact assessment of the Shark Meshing program, the program would enhance protection of marine species.
“Without taking a balanced approach to shark netting and its ecological impacts, the New South Wales Shark Meshing Program will represent a net loss in marine biodiversity. The Government’s response was that recreational and commercial fishing operations don’t need to be offset so why should the shark meshing program.”
“What we need is more education and proper risk assessment about the important role of sharks - an apex species - in our marine environment.
“Without this amendment, all this Bill will effectively do is allow the New South Wales Shark Netting Program to continue without the need for Environmental or Species Impact Studies. This is completely unacceptable for a state with one Australia’s highest rates of extinction of threatened species.”
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