By Lauren Sandeman
Humane World for Animals (formerly Humane Society International Australia)

In February 2025, the 30-year-old organisation, Humane Society International, changed its name to Humane World for Animals. Times change. Organisations grow and adapt. New technologies replace older inefficient ones.

Except when it comes to shark nets.

Not to be confused with the netted or meshed enclosures found at harbour beaches, ocean shark nets are installed 500 meters offshore at 51 ocean beaches off Newcastle, Sydney, and Wollongong. The nets are 150m long, six metres high, and are not even close to being the physical barriers many people assume they are.

Instead, they are designed to cull sharks that swim into them, either on their way into the beach, or on their way back out to sea. Yes, you read that right—almost half the sharks caught are on the beach side of the net.

They were first used in 1937 and have been deployed most summers since aside from three years early on where they were completely removed. But there’s a catch – or rather, it’s about what they catch, and what they don’t.

The nets’ ineffectiveness as a public safety measure has been known for a long time. The NSW Government has recorded at least 35 shark bites at beaches where the nets are deployed since the program began.

And, this century, not only has there been no difference in the risk of a shark interaction between beaches with vs those without a shark net, but there have been years when the risk of shark interaction has been higher at beaches where a shark net was in place.

A short length of fishing net—tiny compared to the width of any of the 51 beaches off Newcastle, Sydney, and Wollongong—is a mind-numbing and dangerous placebo for beach goers, but one with a deadly outcome for the hundreds of marine animals that do get caught every season.

Last season, only 15 target sharks were caught in total. It is nothing compared to the 240 non-target animals that were caught during the same period—turtles, rays, dolphins, seals, penguins, and harmless sharks—a tragic roll call of marine animals, some listed as Threatened Species.

The NSW Government has invested millions of dollars over the past decade to develop effective shark mitigation technologies. Drone surveillance, listening stations—that detect tagged sharks—and SMART drumlines, are in place throughout NSW including where shark nets are deployed.

Drones and listening stations are proactive measures that alert beach goers and authorities about shark activity. SMART drumlines allow for the catch, tagging, and relocation of sharks without the intention of killing them.

And most important of all, public awareness about shark-safe behaviour has grown exponentially. Awareness such as to not swim at dawn and dusk or around bait balls has become increasingly common.

Times change. We grow and adapt. And new technologies replace old, inefficient ones. We wouldn’t allow nearly 100-year-old safety standards in our cars, at work, or in our homes. It is ludicrous to allow our beach safety to be the exception. It’s time to retire shark nets to the records of history and let modern measures do the job. That this would be a massive win for our marine life, is the icing on the cake.

As an ocean swimmer, what do you think about the use of shark nets? Share your thoughts here

Lauren Sandeman is a marine biologist and ocean conservationist, specialising in shark culling policy and science communication. She has a Bachelor of Science in marine biology, a Master of Laws in law of the sea and will soon commence her PhD in shark policy. Lauren combines scientific expertise with policy and legal frameworks to campaign for our ocean wildlife both nationally and internationally.