Latest news with #LawrenceChlebeck
The Guardian
3 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Trial to remove shark nets from three Sydney and Central Coast beaches a good first step, scientists say
A trial to remove shark nets from three Sydney and Central Coast beaches has been welcomed by scientists who say the nets create a false sense of security and are ineffective at preventing shark bites. Shark nets, about 150 metres long and installed roughly 500 metres offshore at selected beaches in New South Wales and Queensland, were 'like a table tennis net on a soccer pitch', said Lawrence Chlebeck, a marine biologist at Humane World for Animals. 'They're not the barriers that people think they are,' he said. 'Sharks can easily swim around, underneath, over the top. In fact, 40% of sharks are caught on the inside of the net – so these animals have already been to the beach.' The nets also 'indiscriminately' catch marine life, killing not just target shark species, but also turtles, dolphins and other marine life, he said. NSW first introduced the nets in the 1930s, with the program since expanded to include 51 beaches between Newcastle and Wollongong. Nets were only one component of the state's shark management program, which also included drone surveillance, shark tagging and real-time detection, SMART drumlines (where sharks were caught, tagged and released) and community education. Last week the state government asked three councils – Waverley, Northern Beaches and Central Coast – to each nominate a beach where the nets could be removed. Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton's Clear Air column as a free newsletter That was a good first step, Chlebeck said, acknowledging 'it would have been tough for a government to end a program with almost a century of legacy'. Other states such as South Australia and Western Australia had already 'moved with the times' and did not use culling or shark nets, he said. Instead they relied on non-lethal measures like surveillance, shark monitoring, public education and rapid response. In contrast, in May the Queensland government announced it would expand the use of lethal controls including shark nets and baited drumlines, a move one expert described as a 'tough on sharks' approach that was more about culture wars than implementing evidence-backed policy. In South Australia, Dr Brianna Le Busque has been researching public attitudes towards sharks and shark bites for almost 10 years. The environmental science program director at the University of South Australia said while the public's fear of sharks remained steady, there had been a shift in attitudes towards greater support for non-lethal methods. 'People want to be protected, and they want to feel safe in the water, but there's less and less support for lethal mitigation,' Le Busque said. Many people were not aware that the nets were actually lethal – designed to catch and kill sharks rather than acting as a barrier. 'We're essentially talking about a big fishing net floating out in the ocean,' she said. Sign up to Clear Air Australia Adam Morton brings you incisive analysis about the politics and impact of the climate crisis after newsletter promotion The trial removal in NSW was a positive step, Le Busque said, given the nets did not offer protection and harmed marine life. She pointed to Australian research published last year into 196 unprovoked shark incidents, which found no difference in unprovoked human-shark interactions at netted versus non-netted beaches since the 2000s. Even so, their removal would be a big change for people living in those areas, Le Busque said. From that perspective, the trial provided an opportunity to build community awareness and demonstrate the effectiveness of other non-lethal mitigation techniques. The NSW agriculture minister, Tara Moriarty, said the safety of beachgoers was the government's 'number one priority'. In determining its approach to the upcoming season, Moriarty said the government would consider evidence from the last few seasons and feedback from local councils. Councils have until 22 August to respond to the NSW government on their preferred option for the removal of nets for 2025-26 patrol season. Waverley council said its support for the trial was contingent on the increased use of drones and SMART drumlines resourced by the state government. 'Waverley Council's position is clear: the safety of our community comes first,' the mayor, Will Nemesh, said. Shark interactions and bites are rare in Australian waters. In the last 10 years, an average of 20 people were injured and 2.8 people killed in shark incidents each year, according to the Australian Shark Incident Database. That is compared to 150 coastal drowning deaths last year, including 84 drownings at beaches.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fisherman captures incredible moment 'not often witnessed by people' off Aussie coast
A fisherman has captured the incredible moment a ray appeared to "fly through the air" as it attempted to evade a predator along the Australian coast this week, with millions of people around the world stunned by the tactic. Brody Sutton was fishing off the coast of Cape York in Queensland last week and pulled out his camera after seeing a hammerhead shark and ray speed through the shallows. As the shark made a beeline towards its prey, the ray leapt out of the water in a stunning display of athleticism, causing the shark to become disorientated and momentarily lose sight of its prey. Lawrence Chlebeck, a marine biologist from Humane World for Animals, told Yahoo News the ray in question was likely a cownose or mobula ray. Unlike the more commonly known stingray, which stays close to the seafloor, these other species swim through the middle of the ocean and are known to use their "fins like wings". "What it's doing is breaking the line of vision that the hammerhead has on it, so just by quickly exiting the water, it can break that focus that the shark has, and you can tell the predator loses it shortly after because of it," Lawrence explained. It's a common tactic deployed by rays, but it's "not often witnessed by people". "This is definitely something that small fish and rays have the ability to do. This little guy was able to leap up, and it was very effective. All they need to do is get a split second to break the visual connection that the predator has on it," Lawrence said. 🐟 Calls for national response as beaches turn into 'graveyards of fish' 👨 Fisherman's incredible catch set to 'feed whole family' for months 🎣 Fishermen catch fish 'rarely seen' in Aussie waters The footage has gone viral within a number of days, with the video reshared in places like the US and the UK. It is unclear whether the ray was able to successfully escape its predator by swimming under the boat, or if the shark got it in the end. "This is crazy," one person responded online, while another said the jumping ray was "Pokemon level crazy". Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
The Guardian
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Queensland's shark control plan facing court challenge and federal intervention, experts say
The expansion of Queensland's lethal shark control program will be challenged in court – should it escape a looming entanglement with federal laws – according to marine scientists and policy experts. The Queensland government announced plans to pump $88m over four years into the state's shark management plan, which would see shark nets and baited drumlines rolled out at more beaches, as well as the expanded use of non-lethal technology such as drone surveillance. The Crissafuli government announced its plan was one that 'prioritised beach goers' safety' which it said was 'put at risk' by the previous government to 'appease radical agendas'. 'It's clear the program had lost its way under previous Labor governments who failed to act and put people after the demands of environmental activists,' primary industries minister Tony Perrett said in a statement. But Humane World for Animals marine biologist Lawrence Chlebeck said the LNP was 'simply playing politics' with a highly emotive issue, describing their shark policy as a 'thinly veiled ruse' to appear supportive of the fishing industry by picking a legal fight 'they know they'll lose'. Many commercial anglers are clamouring for more sharks to be culled amid rising rates of depredation of their catch. Chlebeck confirmed HWA was already looking into a legal challenge – but federal intervention could mean that it 'may not even come to that'. As well as catching and culling target sharks, Queensland's shark nets and drumlines kill, injure and entangle non-target species. Chlebeck said public data showed that last year 1,639 animals were caught in the program – fewer than half of which were targeted sharks – including 22 whales and dolphins, 37 turtles and 46 rays. More than 980 animals were killed. Queensland's shark control program has been running since 1962 and is grandfathered into the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, designed to protect threatened species. But Chlebeck said that exemption comes with a clause that the shark control program be assessed if it is expanded and shown to have a significant impact on threatened species 'The catch of protected species like whales and dolphins, the catch of threatened species like marine turtles and a number of shark species, including the critically endangered grey nurse, that could and most likely will open it up to review under the EPBC Act,' he said. 'The Queensland state government, they know all of this, so if they really want to push forward with these plans, they're going to come into conflict with the federal government and the new federal environment minister – which may or may not have been their plan all along.' But Chlebeck said the state's 'bluster' would end up 'opening up their own program to a scrutiny it has never before faced'. And the marine biologist has form when it comes to lethal shark control in Queensland. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion In 2019 the then Humane Society International had the state's plans for the lethal use of nets and drumlines in the Great Barrier Reef quashed by the federal court of Australia, with a judge ruling the scientific evidence presented was 'overwhelming' that the program's culling of sharks did 'not reduce the risk of unprovoked shark interactions'. University of Sydney associate professor of public policy and expert in the politics of shark attacks, Chris Pepin-Neff, agreed the Queensland government's announcement was more about taking culture wars to the open water than implementing evidence-backed policy. 'I think there's no doubt that the Queensland government believes that this is kind of a war on woke,' Pepin-Neff said. 'This is definitely a tough-on-sharks kind of policy decision and it includes killing sharks – and making sure everyone knows that they're killing sharks – as a way to provide political cover.' 'There's no real way to interpret this other than that the politicians have decided that they are going to win elections by killing sharks'. A spokesperson for the federal environment department confirmed the Queensland shark control program was exempt from the EPBC Act 'in its current form … as it was in operation prior to commencement of the act'. 'It is the responsibility of the Queensland Government to ensure any changes to its program are still covered by the exemption and refer any action that requires an approval under the EPBC Act,' the spokesperson said. The state government was contacted for comment.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Yahoo
Tourists divided after ‘one in a million' great white shark encounter in 'very rare' spot
Video footage of a great white shark at a popular tourist diving spot has been described as 'very rare' by experts. The five-metre female was spotted in waters off the Balinese island of Penida last week, with the tourists who witnessed it telling Yahoo News they feared for their lives during the 20-second face-off. Local divers say it was a 'one in a million' encounter as it's only the second time they recall a great white has been spotted in the area. The first sighting occurred in 2019. White sharks are extremely migratory and known to travel long distances, with one recorded making a 20,000km roundtrip from Australia to South Africa in under nine months in the early 2000s. Marine biologist Lawrence Chlebeck explained the sighting was 'unusual' but 'not unexpected'. 'It's definitely something that can happen, but sighting one in Bali is definitely a once in a lifetime experience,' he told Yahoo News. 'We know white sharks prefer temperate, cooler, more productive waters where they find their primary food sources. But every so often they pop up in these tropical spots, there's even been great white sightings in Hawaii. So they do tend to go on a holiday to some of these tropical islands sometimes.' Diving instructors from the group that encountered the shark told Yahoo News they'd never seen one before. Fabian Clinton, the Swedish adventurer who filmed the face-off, said it was the 'craziest experience' of his career. The dive was organised by Scuba Junkie Penida which told Yahoo there has been 'quite a lot of like talk' about the great white sighting. Because they can travel so far, it's believed to have likely left the area for good. 🌕 Incredible event 'triggered by full moon' off coast 😳 Australia faces 'big problem' as US tourist who snatched baby wombat flees 🗑️ Beachgoers asked to 'think twice' after devastating find in 25kg of rubbish 'There's been a very split reaction from anyone who has read about it. Some people think they were so lucky, it was a once in a lifetime experience. But others simply say they're so glad they weren't on that trip, they would have feared for their lives,' Amelia from the dive company said. 'We were talking about the statistics about this — it's a one in a million type thing. If you think about the number of dive centres that we have on the island, and the number of dive centres in Bali, each doing at least two dives a day, and then times that by 365 days of the year. That's a lot of dives. And this is the first great white we've seen in six years.' Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
