2023 Report: Investigation into the NSW Shark Meshing Program

The shark mitigation strategy in New South Wales (NSW) has slowly been evolving over recent years. The introduction of Shark-Management-Alert-In-Real-Time (SMART) drumlines and shark surveillance drones has provided hope to those in the community who want to see the program cease its current lethal methods. But the State has been seemingly reluctant to make the final transition away from the lethal Shark Meshing Program (SMP) that still operates for eight months of the year.

The recent report, 'Investigation into NSW Shark Meshing Program June 2023' by Envoy Foundation, covers the many shortcomings of the program in detail, including some that may not have been previously discussed. For example, trigger points should effectively alert to the program's impact on threatened species, but instead, are reactive. Furthermore, when trigger points are tripped, there is no contingency plan for decisive and practical actions.

Another critical issue is the need for more data quality and transparency, including that there is no data available on the program's impact on the environment more broadly. Missing and inconsistent reporting by shark meshing contractors, both historic and ongoing, leads to data inaccuracy. Data accuracy and integrity are vital for the accurate assessment of this program. In addition, mortality rates of animals initially released alive are not made available post-release, many of which would likely succumb to stress and injury post-release based on visual evidence obtained.

The report also highlights that although the SMP is a NSW program, shark tracking data shows impacts go beyond the State's jurisdiction, this also applies to the Queensland (QLD) Shark Control Program, particularly for migratory species such as Tiger Sharks, White Sharks, Grey Nurse Sharks and other non-target species.

In addition, a growing number of surveys show public opinion opposes shark meshing for various reasons, including but not solely due to its ineffectiveness, the killing of marine animals, its impact on the marine environment, and disturbance to marine ecosystems. NSW Local Governments also oppose the SMP. Sadly, the NSW government's actions fail to align with the growing community opposition to shark nets, including not publicly releasing the results of recent community shark sentiment surveys.

Overall, the investigation finds that the SMP is not achieving its goal of keeping ocean goers safe from negative shark interactions. It is also clear that it has a disastrous and potentially long-lasting effect on the marine ecosystem. The overarching recommendation of the investigation is that the NSW government immediately prioritise the withdrawal of shark meshing and develop a well-structured short-term phase-out strategy should shark nets return to the waters for any further meshing seasons beyond 2022/23. Simultaneously, the NSW government's efforts must be directed towards further implementing alternative, non-lethal shark mitigation methods that protect both humans and marine ecosystems.

This investigation covers all the above points in more detail and explores other significant issues and shortcomings of the current SMP. The investigation makes 12 recommendations for the urgent consideration of the NSW government and the Federal Environment Minister.

The findings of the investigation are available here.