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Australia state government mulls on shark nets after series of attacks

Xinhua, October 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

Australia's New South Wales (NSW) state government will introduce a new bill in parliament this November to legalise a six-month trial of shark nets on the North Coast, following a series of attacks which occurred in the area in recent months.

However, the nets will only be deployed on the North Coast beaches before the Christmas holidays after it gets the green light to do so from the state's Parliament House, Xinhua has learnt.

NSW State Minister for Primary Industries Niall Blair said the state government will introduce a dedicated legislation to regulate mesh nets on the North Coast so that a trial can start as soon as possible.

"No one measure can stop shark attacks, but this trial of traditional nets will complement our existing 16 million Australian dollars (12.17 million U.S. dollars) Shark Management Strategy, and help reduce the risk of further attacks," Blair said in a statement.

"Marine life is important, which is why DPI's (Department of Primary Industries) world-leading fisheries experts are investigating how mesh nets might be improved to avoid unnecessary entanglements, but protecting human life is our first priority," he said.

The announcement comes right after a 36-year-old surfer had suffered wounds on his thigh during a shark attack at Broken Head near Byron Bay early Monday morning.

The unidentified man was reported to have driven himself to the hospital in Byron Bay after being bitten by the shark, which species has yet to be identified by the authorities.

As a result of the latest attack, Surf Life Saving NSW in a statement said that all beaches across Byron Bay including the patrolled Main Beach would remain closed for at least the next 24 hours following the attack.

NSW beaches has been inundated with shark attacks in recent months, with the latest attack reported by a 25-year-old surfer who was bitten by a shark at Ballina while out surfing with his friends earlier in the month.

Just weeks before, another Australian teenager, 17-year-old Cooper Allan, was mauled by a great white shark at NSW's coastal beaches.

To date, the number of shark attacks reported around NSW has been 13 since this February. Endit