A report recommended the use of drones to protect swimmers from sharks before the NSW Labor government decided to deploy the controversial nets again.
The NSW government was internally warned community groups and a large swathe of the public preferred other measures over shark nets before it committed to the “walls of death” for another year.
The controversial shark mitigation measures, which are prone to capturing non-target threatened species, have been in the spotlight after Premier Chris Minns confirmed they would be rolled out off Sydney’s coast from next Friday.
Labor went to the March election promising to phase them out.
But a government-commissioned community sentiment survey shows newer technologies, particularly non-invasive methods, are well-supported by NSW residents, beachgoers and councils.
Residents’ net satisfaction was high for drone surveillance (76 per cent), shark listening stations (65 per cent) and non-lethal, monitored drumlines (65 per cent).
But traditional nets were far lower at 27 per cent, with less than half of those surveyed saying they were content with the measure.
Four in five community organisations, such as surf lifesaving clubs and environmental groups, were dissatisfied with netting.
The survey report, authored by EY and released late on Wednesday, also noted perception of safety was lower for netting and suggested wider deployment of drones to lift overall confidence in the mitigation program.
It found strong support to protect and patrol the ocean close to shore, but little backing for killing sharks after a serious or fatal incident (30 per cent) or to reduce potential threats to humans (21 per cent).
The survey was released after Animal Justice MP Emma Hurst threatened to use parliamentary powers to compel its release.
“It is clear there is increased support for the alternatives and beachgoers feel safe with these alternatives, meaning there is no reason to continue the deployment of shark nets for another season,” she told AAP.
“We can see from the government’s own data that the community does not support shark nets and feels safer with the alternatives.”
Yearly government data has repeatedly shown shark nets catch few of their target species.
Mr Minns on Wednesday said the government would not be rushed into eliminating traditional shark nets along 51 beaches between Newcastle and Wollongong.
The eight-month season begins next Friday.
“We’re looking closely at the emerging technology and I think it’s a good ambition to remove (nets) from popular city beaches,” he said.
“But we’re not going to get rushed into it.”
The issue has split the coalition, with Liberal backbencher Adam Crouch dubbing the nets “walls of death” that provide a false sense of security, while his colleague Rachel Merton lauded them as a “magnificent success”.
Keeping nets in NSW’s shark mitigation program was recently endorsed by a government scientific committee.
While not providing a complete barrier, the nets deterred sharks from establishing territories and reduced the odds of an encounter, it said.
Only one person has been fatally attacked at a netted beach since 1937, a figure experts have put down to advancements in medicine and surf lifesaving.
AAP
