Emily Rowland, Sydney Region Branch and Nets Out and David Stead, President Sydney Region Branch
From Nets to Networks: A Changing Current For Shark Control in NSW
For nearly a century, shark nets have lined the eastern coastline of Australia as silent markers of an era that mistook dominance for protection. First introduced in New South Wales in 1937 after a series of shark attacks, these nets were seen as a technological solution to public fear: a way to control nature in the name of safety.
Now there is a different current moving, one rising from the depths. Scientific evidence, community sentiment, and ecological concerns have increasingly questioned their continued use, leading to a new momentum for change. A growing coalition of over 50 organisations, from marine scientists and surfers to conservationists, First Nations leaders and coastal communities, is coming together to change this narrative. Coalescing to a major shift that replaces control with responsibility, competition with coalition, and regulation with relationship and respect.
Shark Meshing Program
Formally known as the Shark Meshing (Bather Protection) Program it is managed by the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI). The program spans 51 beaches from Newcastle to Wollongong during warmer months from September to April, with a trial on the far north coast in 2016 discontinued in 2018 following community concern. Measuring around 150 metres long and 6 metres deep, these nets are set below the surface and anchored offshore, primarily aiming to reduce the population of large sharks near beaches through entanglement rather than deterrence.
Modern versions now include hazard reduction measures like dolphin pingers and whale alarms. Intended to reduce shark encounters, shark nets do not enclose beaches, nor do they guarantee safety, instead, they inflict quiet, ongoing harm: entangling migrating whales, dolphins, turtles, rays and non-target threatened species like hammerhead and grey nurse sharks.
The Myth of Safety
The nets were born from a time when we believed separation meant safety, only to give us a false sense of security. For example, there are three shark nets across the stretch of beach from Manly to Queenscliff, spanning a collective 350m, to ‘protect’ about 2.2km of actively used beach and swimming areas. Despite this form of protection, shark incidents still occur at netted beaches, with 8 incidents recorded since 2020. In the same period there were an additional 43 incidents across NSW, a small proportion of marine interactions for over 20 million beachgoers.
The data shows that shark nets are a blunt and outdated tool. A true paradigm shift recognises that safety is not built on walls but on balance. Genuine security arises from understanding that our wellbeing is intertwined with the health of the ocean, not merely by the absence of threat.
From Control to Coexistence
The legacy of shark nets is one of political response rather than scientific reasoning. Early attempts, like the first net at Coogee Beach in 1920 (image above) caught everything to close off the popular beach from marine life. In a 1934 article, naturalist and shark expert David G. Stead, challenged the rhetoric of fear and remote risk of shark attack, with the knowledge that the relative danger stems from ‘certain conditions of place, time, and light’. This awareness of living with nature has grown along with increased knowledge and technological advancements that provide for better responses. Alternatives like drone surveillance, smart drumlines, and real-time shark alert systems are already proving more effective and providing protection without destruction. Drones offer rapid aerial detection, smart drumlines allow for humane capture and relocation, and tagged shark monitoring networks keep communities informed.
In the 2022–2023 season alone, over 60% of entangled marine life were non-target species and many of them killed in the process. They speak to an older story, one where control trumped connection, and outdated fear obstructed the potential for informed, respectful relationship with marine life. The shark net debate gives us a chance to ask: What kind of relationship do we want with the ocean? Around the world, momentum is building toward the 30×30 goal to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030. But protection without connection risks reinforcing the very paradigms we seek to outgrow.
The movement to remove shark nets is not just about reducing harm. It’s a story of reimagining care. A model of what 30×30 could become when animated by empathy, science and place-based wisdom.
A Living Future
In 2026, the NSW Government plans to phase out the shark net program one month early, replacing them with an increased drone and surveillance program. DPI has also asked three NSW councils to be part of a trial removal of nets from a nominated beach for the 2025/26 program, with Randwick Council voting not to continue support for nets at Maroubra and Coogee beach, where no target sharks have been caught since 2020, just endangered and critically threatened species.
This marks a significant shift in coastal management strategy. It’s a shift that reflects not just science, but a deeper cultural rethinking of our relationship with the ocean. As the state transitions away from shark nets, ongoing investment in surveillance technology, public education, and research into shark behaviour will be critical. Sharks are a natural part of healthy ocean ecosystems, and while the risk of shark bites can never be eliminated, it can be managed more ethically and effectively.
When we step back from trying to dominate the ocean, we begin to truly listen to it. And when we listen, the ocean reveals a profound truth: we are not separate from it, but an intrinsic part of its ebb and flow, the current of life. In the movement and migration of species, in the breath of reef life and ancient navigational patterns, we find a living intelligence that teaches us how to belong.