Trapped in Time: The 1937 Shark Net Legacy Still Killing Today

Imagine Sydney in 1937, before World War II, before modern technology, and before we understood marine ecosystems the way we do today. That year, Charlie Chaplin was captivating cinema audiences, the Hindenburg airship tragically exploded in New Jersey, and Sydney’s roads had only just started seeing traffic lights.

It was also the year the New South Wales Shark Meshing Program (SMP) was introduced, a lethal strategy to reduce the number of sharks at popular beaches following a series of shark bites. At the time, the true cause of these incidents, abattoir waste being dumped near shorelines, was not understood, and fear dominated public sentiment.

The SMP deployed large mesh gillnets, around 150 metres long and 6 metres deep, set below the water’s surface. Contrary to common belief, these nets were never designed to act as barriers to keep sharks out. Instead, their purpose was, and still is, to catch and kill sharks.

Before the SMP began, Sydney beaches such as Coogee had experimented with physical shark-proof enclosures, solid barriers intended to block sharks entirely. But these were expensive to maintain, often damaged by storms, and visually unappealing to the public. Life-saving groups also raised concerns that swimmers gravitated toward them, increasing the risk of accidents. Despite opposition from some local councils who preferred these enclosures, public and political pressure favoured a more aggressive solution: lethal meshing.

Historical records show the intent clearly. In 1937, The Labour Daily reported that the goal of the new netting program was “to catch as many sharks as possible.” A few years earlier, The Canberra Times noted widespread public support for programs that would “rid the ocean of sharks” and “deal with the shark menace.”

Queensland followed suit in 1962 with its own version of the program, adding not just nets (slightly longer at 183m) but also drumlines, baited hooks designed to lure and kill sharks. Both nets and drumlines were tools of eradication, not prevention.

Despite minor changes over the decades, like the addition of acoustic “pingers” intended to deter dolphins and whales, the basic design and lethal intent remain unchanged. These pingers have proven largely ineffective. For instance, in the month of September this year alone, 11 humpback whales were entangled in the nets.

The vast majority (92%) of animals caught are not target species. Many are threatened or endangered species, including turtles, rays, dolphins, and harmless sharks. Over a third of all animals caught are listed as vulnerable or endangered. These programs are legally classified as fishing operations, not public safety measures.

Today, we live in a different world. We have advanced non-lethal technologies such as drone surveillance, personal shark deterrents, and improved emergency response systems. Our understanding of marine life and ecological balance has deepened.

What hasn’t changed is our responsibility to act.

It’s time for our policies to reflect our progress. The shark meshing program is a relic of a fearful past, not a solution for the future.