Endangered sea creatures killed in shark nets
Hundreds of sea creatures, many of them endangered, have been killed in shark nets along the NSW coastline in just one year.
The nets were put in place to protect swimmers, but conservation groups say they're doing more harm than good.
Those same groups, however, have been accused of sabotaging the nets.
7 News dived in to see the damage and the images are confronting.
An endangered turtle off Bondi Beach is the latest victim of the shark net program, which has seen a massive increase in marine animal deaths over the past year.
Conservationists fear the nets are taking animals lives in a bid to save ours.
"The small risk of shark attack does not warrant the huge death toll of harmless and threatened marine species," Nicola Beynon from Humane Society International told 7 News.
Between Newcastle and Wollongong 748 animals, including hammerheads, rays, great whites, turtles, dolphins and critically endangered grey nurse sharks, have been caught with half of those dead.
In the first month of the North Coast shark net trial only five of the 43 animals entangled were ‘target sharks.’
Twelve animals captured in the nets died including: threatened great hammerheads, rays, a dolphin and green turtle.
“We constantly work to try to improve the survival rates of by-catch in the nets," Scott Hansen Primary Industries Director-General.
The big increase in deaths, especially to endangered species has triggered a review of the shark netting program but the government has rejected calls to phase it out altogether.
Green groups have been accused of taking action themselves by deliberately damaging nets at least five times in 12 months.
"Groups have called themselves eco warriors but we actually think they're eco-cretins," Walt Secord the Shadow North Coast Minister told 7 News.
However experts say big swells or boating accidents are more often to blame for the damage because conservationists are aware of the dangers.
"If you cut each end of the net and it starts floating around it becomes a ghost net and that's even more damaging than a shark net is," Dean Cropp an underwater cameraman told 7 News.
However despite protests from Green groups the evidence suggests the nets are keeping the public safer.
At Bondi the net protects hundreds of people in the water at any given time.
Of the 11 shark interactions or attacks last year, four were at netted beaches but none of those resulted in significant injuries.
All of the serious attacks happened north of Forster and since the North Coast netting trial began there haven’t been any.
Today's top news stories- January 17
