Humane World for Animals Australia applauds NSW shark bite trauma kits rollout but says nets need to go

SYDNEY (April 29, 2026)—An announcement of the rollout of shark bite trauma kits at 129 New South Wales beaches from Surf Life Saving NSW on Tuesday is welcomed by Humane World for Animals Australia as a positive step in reducing the severity of injury and number of fatalities from sharks in the state. 

Surf Life Saving NSW chief Steve Pearce made the announcement at a press event at Dee Why Beach on Tuesday.  

Humane World for Animals Australia Campaign Director and Northern Beaches mum, Nicola Beynon, says the rollout of trauma kits is a welcome addition to the toolkit of effective measures in mitigating the severity of shark bite injuries, with the primary objective of avoiding fatalities.   

“Our Surf Life Savers bravely save so many lives on our beaches every year—the vast majority of those from drowning,” says Ms Beynon. “This addition will undoubtedly help them save more. But just as important as embracing new and effective shark bite risk measures is divestment from outdated and ineffective ones. At the very beach that Mr Pearce made his address on Tuesday, near century-old shark nets are attracting sharks closer to shore. It’s high time the NSW Government took an ‘out with the old, in with the new’ approach to shark safety.” 

Dee Why Beach on Sydney’s Northern Beaches is one of 51 beaches between Newcastle and Wollongong where shark nets are installed each summer, with the program dating back to 1937. While surf life savers and first responders have very effectively prevented bites from becoming fatalities, 37 bites have occurred at beaches with shark nets. The last three incidents on the Northern Beaches all occurred in the vicinity of shark nets.  

Additionally, 90% of animals caught in these nets are not target shark species and includes Critically Endangered wildlife. Shark nets are not barriers. Very different to the shark enclosures at harbour beaches, the shark nets at issue are 150 metre-long fishing nets installed 500 metres off beaches. They do not reduce the risk of shark bite. Sharks can easily swim around them and in fact, 40% of sharks caught in them are caught on the beach side of the net. 

Humane World for Animals Australia supports a modern, non-lethal approach to shark bite risk mitigation.