Shark nets ‘don’t actually do anything’. So why are we using them?

Queensland has been culling sharks with nets for more than 60 years.

Last year, more than 1600 animals were caught in nets and drum lines in Queensland. Comparatively, 176 target sharks were killed last year. This year to-date, 217 target sharks have been killed.

“We’re still having shark bites and in fact we’re still seeing an increase in shark bites, so the concept that culling those sharks would somehow reduce the risk, it doesn’t really align with what we’ve been doing for 60 years,” Raoult says.

About 40 per cent of sharks caught in the nets are coming out after being at the beach, he says.

“So the sharks have already been close to people, presumably before they get caught.”

At the time of this year’s tragedy, 18 drum lines were deployed at Woorim Beach. They had been freshly baited two days beforehand.

“There were drum lines there, they didn’t prevent that shark bite,” Raoult says.

Nets also catch numerous “non-target species”, Raoult says.

A spokesperson for the Department of Primary Industries said, “non-target shark species and other marine animals are removed from equipment and released alive whenever possible”.

But Raoult says many still die.

There is also the risk of attracting sharks to other things caught, he says.

“You’ll see stingrays or that kind of stuff with bite marks,” he says. “In those cases, it definitely has that potential to have attracted other things there that may not have been there otherwise.”

Newer technologies used in NSW such as SMART or Catch Alert drum lines are “essentially non-lethal”, Raoult says.

“As soon as a shark grabs the bait it sends out a ping via satellite directly to the phone of the operator for that set of drum lines, and they have an obligation to be physically at that drum line within about 20 or 30 minutes,” he says.

The shark is then towed out to sea and in most cases tagged so it can be tracked, Raoult says.

That tagging allows operators to be alerted when sharks come near popular beaches, meaning they can then warn beachgoers of the risk.

While the “world first system” has the benefit of conservation, Raoult emphasised that the NSW government operates this way primarily because it keeps beachgoers safe.

After a significant “spate of shark bites” in 2015, Raoult says the government made a “very clear decision to become world leaders in shark management”.

While the immediate cost of adopting new technologies would be large, Raoult says the costs of new technology such as drones could be similar to recent investments and ongoing upkeep costs of our current systems.

“If you’re gonna spend more money, I would say the vast majority of scientists who are familiar with sharks would say it’s better spent elsewhere,” he says.

Drones can also be used to identify risks for swimmers, such as rips, so they serve as “a double whammy”, Raoult says.

“You have a benefit for shark safety, but also you’re potentially reducing the risk to beach users at the same time,” he says. “Drones are an easy win in my eyes for beach safety full stop, regardless of sharks or not.”

Other options for swimmers’ safety, such as ocean pools and swimming enclosures, are great but not as suited to Queensland’s coastline, Raoult says.

This was also acknowledged in the government-commissioned report, which said a trial did not go ahead as only two beaches in North Queensland were identified as suitable and the local government was resistant.

“I think the ocean pools are fantastic, but some people just might not like ocean pools,” Raoult says.

“This is where the shark bite mitigation thing becomes quite complex because you can provide situations that are 100 per cent safe and people just might not want to be in those conditions, right?

“The big question mark is how do we help people who are going to put themselves at risk, so to speak, so surfers, ocean swimmers, and find ways to lower their risk of shark bite?”

There has been significant progress in solutions for surfers, such as electric deterrence devices, Raoult says. These devices are attached to the bottom of a surfboard, sending off an electric current that is unpleasant for sharks and can reduce the risk of being bitten by about 60 per cent.

Other methods such as bite-resistant wetsuits have also tested well in trials.

Raoult called for greater investment in these new products, as well as closer regulation to prevent “snake oil salesmen”.

If the government wants to improve safety, they have to acknowledge shark nets “just probably do nothing” and move on to other options, Raoult says.

He acknowledged the government may be hesitant to remove nets due to the way it can be framed by political rivals, “but the fact of the matter is people are getting bitten at beaches with nets and with drum lines”.

“I think governments would look a lot stronger if they made the case for switching to these more modern methods, which we have good evidence to show should work and should provide additional safety to people,” he said.

A government-commissioned KPMG report last year recommended phasing out shark nets and traditional drum lines. The Crisafulli government instead invested $88m over four years into the state’s shark management plan, including the introduction of more shark nets.

Marine science professor Colin Simpfendorfer, who served as a member of a board advising the program for almost 10 years, quietly resigned following the announcement.

That resignation is “a very good way to gauge what the response of the community is to increasing the shark nets”, Raoult says.

“It’s not backed by science,” he says. “I think at the heart of it, we want to increase people’s enjoyment of the ocean without risk of getting bitten by a shark.”

“This perception that we have to just kill sharks is the only solution to do it – it doesn’t make sense. It’s not backed up by the evidence and so we need to do better, specifically to protect human lives.”

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