Greens Call to Abandon Outdated Shark Nets - 11 April 2006

Shark nets extract a heavy toll on protected marine species every year and should be abandoned, said Greens MLC Ian Cohen today in response to comments by Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald at a summit on shark meshing. Invitations to the summit were not extended to conservation groups.

“Excluding conservationists from the summit means that only one side of the story was presented. Shark experts and fisheries officials are not necessarily experts on threatened species and conservation issues. It shows the summit to be a sham.

“The NSW government is all talk and no action when it comes to innovative measures to protect marine species from grisly deaths in shark nets. Minister Macdonald may say he is open to looking at ways to minimise harm to other sea life, but he tends towards scientific tricks rather than constructive measures supported by the conservation movement.

“Electronic shark repellents have been used successfully by abalone divers and surfers to ward off sharks without harming other marine life. Mature sharks are particularly sensitive to this method. I asked the Minister two weeks ago in Question Time whether he would investigate the use of shark repellent barriers instead of shark nets, but his response was a commitment to the destructive shark-meshing program.” Mr Cohen said.

“The low incidence of shark attacks on NSW beaches since the 1930s, when the shark net program began, cannot simply be attributed to shark nets. The picture is much more complicated. It is estimated that 40% of the sharks caught in the nets are captured on the beach side of the meshing.

“If the best effort the Government can come up with is electronic pingers to repel other sea-life away from nets, then the future of threatened marine species looks grim. Minister Macdonald’s rhetoric about protecting dolphins, whales and turtles reeks of pandering to the ‘cute factor’. What about the critically endangered and harmless Grey Nurse Shark, which is threatened by shark nets? What about the countless fish caught in shark nets every year?

“I urge the Minister to thoroughly investigate electronic shark repellents and other innovative technologies which would protect the public as well as protecting our threatened species.” Mr Cohen said.