Dolphin dead, 30 animals caught in shark nets that were not checked due to 'bad weather'
Five marine animals have died and 25 more have been caught in shark nets in the third month of the NSW government’s trial – none of them targeted species.
Two great hammerheads, one common dolphin and two cownose rays were found dead after rough weather conditions meant the nets were not checked daily.
In January, the nets were checked 14 times in the 27 days they were in the water, but New South Wales Department of Primary Industries has been heavily criticised for not checking them twice daily.
The government considers tiger, white and bull sharks as target species, but since the most recent trial began in November 2017 only one bull shark has been caught in the net.
In the first trial, which ran from December 2016 to May 2017, 275 animals were caught in the netting, nine of which were target sharks - a strike rate of three per cent.
Earlier this year Greens MP Justin Field called on the government to scrap the "ineffective" netting.
"This report is yet more evidence the shark netting program in NSW does little to keep people safe in the water but takes a terrible toll on local marine life," Mr Field said.
"A recent Senate report found people are 100 times more likely to drown at the beach than to be killed by a shark in Australia. The risk is infinitesimally small."
