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<b>LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY</b> - Signing ePetition

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY - Signing ePetition - Extension of the Shark Meshing (Bather Protection) Program

To sign the ePetition, confirm you are a resident of New South Wales and enter your title, first name and last name. Once you click ‘submit’ you will have signed the ePetition and will be re-directed to the Legislative Assembly’s ‘ePetitions open for signature’ page

Extension of the Shark Meshing (Bather Protection) Program

To the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly, We, the undersigned, request that the Shark Meshing (Bather Protection) Program be extended along the coast, so that regional New South Wales is protected from shark attack in the same way as the Metropolitan regions. We feel remorse for non-target creatures caught in shark nets. However, there is no other way of providing an equivalent level of protection. Although regrettable, we nonetheless believe that the loss of sea life is acceptable, when compared to the trauma caused by shark attacks. The efficacy of shark nets can be appreciated when comparing the catch rates of SMART drumlines in regions that are netted versus regions that are not. According to the NSW SMART Drumlines Report 2023/24, far fewer target sharks were caught in the netted regions, indicating that far fewer target sharks are available to be caught there. By contrast, the greater number of target sharks caught in the non-netted regions indicates that there are many more target sharks in those regions. The undersigned petitioners, therefore, ask the Legislative Assembly to call on the Government to extend the Shark Meshing (Bather Protection) Program all the way along the coast, because the anticipated reduction in the number of target sharks moving along the coast will reduce the rate of shark attacks more than any other shark mitigation measure, or combination of measures.

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The Parliament of New South Wales acknowledges and respects the traditional lands of all Aboriginal people, and pays respects to all Elders past and present. We acknowledge the Gadigal people as the traditional custodians of the land on which the Parliament of New South Wales stands.