The " Netting " Question !

The Greens say that placing shark nets off beaches to safeguard swimmers is no solution.  But the statistics that apply tell an entirely different story.    There have been no fatal shark attacks off the fifty-one netted beaches between Wollongong and Newcastle in more than fifty years.  That compares with twelve recent attacks on un-netted beaches, two of which were fatal.

Netting is carried out only in the summer beach season at a cost of $ 1.4 million, and these nets have disposed of 222 " target " sharks since 2008.  There is no scientific explanation of why nets are so successful, but some people think that the distress signals from sharks caught in this way may persuade other sharks to avoid the area.   Whatever the reason, the statistics are clear.  Swimmers are a lot safer entering the water at a netted beach.

The big question is whether to extend this netting option to the northern beaches that are seeing swimmers and surfers attacked by sharks.  The fanatical greens are vehemently opposed and in fact some of their " Eco-warriors " have been actively sabotaging nets by cutting their anchor lines and similar mischief.

One of the objections voiced by the Greens is that nets catch other harmless creatures such a Dolphins, Sea Turtles and even Whales.   Safety comes at a cost and the people tasked with managing the nets do their best to free any unintended catch.   The mesh of these nets is such that only very large sea creatures find them an obstacle.

The obvious solution is to net those northern beaches for a season and evaluate the results.   If there is a sharp reduction in shark attacks they are obviously worth keeping on a permanent basis, but the Greens reject that logical argument.   They claim that the safety nets bring is purely an illusion and they will fight tooth and nail to stop a trial that may prove them wrong.

A lot of things about the sea and the creatures that live in it are still a mystery to science.  Sharks do not automatically attack any human they encounter and some type of sharks are more likely to attack than others - to the extent that a few species are regarded as harmless.   The Grey Nurse shark is in this category - and it is now fully protected.

At the top of the food chain in the sea is the Great White.  It - and the Bull shark - account for the big proportion of shark fatalities, and yet it all seems to depend on the mood of the shark at that particular time - if it swims harmlessly by or decides to make a meal of somebody !

It is evident that there is safety in numbers.  Nobody has ever been attacked swimming between the flags on a beach supervised by lifesavers, and those northern beaches are very attractive to surfers who in small numbers wait offshore for the right wave.    The time of day and the extent of cloud cover are also factors that seem to have a bearing on shark behaviour.

Netting the northern beaches will certainly be a safety experiment.   The cost will be worth it to settle the argument, but it is doubtful that the Greens will have a change of attitude either way.  Logic is never part of the equation when it conflicts with ecological dogma - or politics !