Councillor Calls for End to Shark Nets as Season Wraps Up Early in Newcastle

newy.com.au – Shark nets will be removed from Newcastle’s six patrolled beaches at the end of March, a month earlier than usual, and one councillor is calling for them to be scrapped for good.

Ward 1 Councillor Charlotte McCabe has urged locals to sign a petition asking the NSW Government to end the shark meshing program in Newcastle and instead fund non-lethal alternatives such as drone surveillance, SMART drumlines, and shark listening stations.

“Shark nets are not barriers or enclosures,” Cr McCabe said in a social media post this week. “They are only 150 metres long and 500 metres off the beach. Sharks swim over, under and around these nets.”

The shark nets are part of the NSW Government’s Shark Meshing (Bather Protection) Program, which was introduced in Sydney in 1937 and later expanded to include more than 50 beaches between Newcastle and Wollongong. Newcastle’s beaches, including Nobbys, Bar Beach, Dixon Park and Merewether have had shark nets installed for decades, usually from September to April each year.

Unlike full enclosures, the nets are not designed to block sharks from entering swimming areas but instead aim to reduce the local population of dangerous sharks. However, more than 95% of animals caught in the nets are non-target species, including turtles, dolphins, rays and harmless sharks.

According to data from the Department of Primary Industries, the nets result in regular bycatch of marine wildlife, prompting growing concern from environmental groups and some councils.

Of the eight coastal councils in NSW that still have shark nets, six have recently voted to oppose their future use. Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Councils chose not to take a formal position, instead leaving the decision to the NSW Government.

Cr McCabe said the Newcastle Council “got it wrong” by failing to provide clear direction. “The Premier makes his decision based on the feedback from councils,” she said. “Tim [Crakanthorp] needs to hear from his constituents in Newcastle so that he can advocate on our behalf.”

McCabe’s petition is directed at local MP Tim Crakanthorp, calling for state funds to be redirected to modern shark management technologies that have already been trialled along the Hunter coastline.

Newcastle is among several regions in NSW where SMART drumlines, aerial drone patrols, and real-time shark listening stations are already in use. These methods aim to track and alert swimmers to the presence of sharks without harming marine life.

You can sign the petition here.

You can sign the petition here.