Stop harming sharks! Ban all drumlines and shark nets

In response to the tragic death of an ocean swimmer at Little Bay on 16 February 2022, the government has brought in four new shark nets and installed 21 ‘Shark SMART drumlines’ off Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs beaches. This makes a total of 54 shark nets and 39 SMART drumlines in NSW waters.

What is a Shark SMART drumline? It’s basically a giant fishhook. There is no guarantee that marine animals recover or even survive after the grave injury of a thick metal hook going through their mouth and out through their face or neck, with the injury worsening as they struggle to free themselves.

So what do we want? Leave our marine life alone – no more lethal or harmful interventions. No more shark nets or drumlines of any kind!

In WA, a SMART drumline trial was abandoned after two years because it proved so ineffective on every count, “with the state's chief scientist saying it did not reduce the risk of attack” (ABC).

Shark nets are even worse. In 2020, almost 60% of the animals caught in shark nets died! Even the 40% released alive are not guaranteed survival – injuries from their period of entanglement can cause death soon after. Of the 480 animals trapped that season, only 50 were targeted sharks. How many more baby whales and dolphins can we stand to let die slowly in them?

A 2012 study by Bond University found that 40% of sharks were caught on the beachside of shark nets. "The nets have never been a barrier to sharks," their researcher said.

Shark nets and drumlines are cruel, indiscriminate and they don’t work. This carnage is not worth a false sense of security!

So what do we want? Leave our marine life alone – no more lethal or harmful interventions. No more shark nets or drumlines of any kind!

We call on the government to invest in effective and cruelty-free alternatives that protect people and do not harm marine life: shark listening stations, personal shark deterrents, drone surveillance, helicopter surveillance, investment in beach patrol and emergency medical response (proven to reduce the incidence of shark bites and lethality) eco shark barriers (developed in Perth) being trialled in three WA beaches have reported success – these are rigid barriers with smaller holes that do not trap marine life,  and education.

To: Dugald Saunders, Minister for Primary Industries
From: [Your Name]

Minister Saunders, you have the power to ban SMART drumlines and shark nets and invest in effective and humane shark deterrents that protect people and marine life.

In response to the tragic death of an ocean swimmer at Little Bay on 16 February 2022, the government has brought in four new shark nets and installed 21 ‘Shark SMART drumlines’ off Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs beaches. This makes a total of 54 shark nets and 39 SMART drumlines in NSW waters.

What is a Shark SMART drumline? It’s basically a giant fishhook. There is no guarantee that marine animals recover or even survive after the grave injury of a thick metal hook going through their mouth and out through their face or neck, with the injury worsening as they struggle to free themselves.
So what do we want? Leave our marine life alone – no more lethal or harmful interventions.

No more shark nets or drumlines of any kind!

In WA, a SMART drumline trial was abandoned after two years because it proved so ineffective on every count, “with the state's chief scientist saying it did not reduce the risk of attack” (ABC).

Shark nets are even worse. In 2020, almost 60% of the animals caught in shark nets died! Even the 40% released alive are not guaranteed survival – injuries from their period of entanglement can cause death soon after. Of the 480 animals trapped that season, only 50 were targeted sharks. How many more baby whales and dolphins can we stand to let die slowly in them?

A 2012 study by Bond University found that 40% of sharks were caught on the beachside of shark nets. "The nets have never been a barrier to sharks," their researcher said.

Shark nets and drumlines are cruel, indiscriminate and they don’t work. This carnage is not worth a false sense of security!

So what do we want? Leave our marine life alone – no more lethal or harmful interventions. No more shark nets or drumlines of any kind!

We call on the government to invest in effective and cruelty-free alternatives that protect people and do not harm marine life:
• shark listening stations;
• personal shark deterrents;
• drone surveillance;
• helicopter surveillance;
• investment in beach patrol and emergency medical response (proven to reduce the incidence of shark bites and lethality)
• eco shark barriers (developed in Perth) being trialled in three WA beaches have reported success – these are rigid barriers with smaller holes that do not trap marine life,
• and education.