Shark nets

Shark nets are non-commercial fishing nets set at a number of beaches to protect bathers from sharks. These shark nets have effectively diminished the probability of shark attack by substantially reducing the number of sharks residing in the netted areas (Davis et al. 1995). THESE NETS ARE NOT BARRIERS, they are set to catch and kill sharks. The shark nets are permanent and hang stationary in the water about 500 m from the shore and trap any animal that cannot pass through the 25 cm mesh. Thus the shark nets are not shark-specific and, besides the 21 853 sharks caught between 1981 and 1993, 1 059 dolphins were caught, as well as 916 turtles and 4 841 batoids [(rays and guitarfish); Davis et al. 1995]. The inshore population sizes of most of these different animals are unknown, making it difficult to put the number of mortalities into perspective. However, conservation measures should be taken so that the local populations of these animals are not further depleted.

Return