43 sharks were caught in total.
Dozens of large sharks, some over three metres long, have been caught off the coast of NSW in recent months.
According to data released by Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall on Sunday, fourteen sharks were caught of the recently installed SMART drumlines around Sydney beaches with another 29 sharks being snagged along the rest of the NSW coastline, bringing the total to 43 sharks caught in the last three months.
Species caught include great white sharks, bronze whalers, grey nurse, and bull sharks, among others.
Just recently, a three and half metre tiger shark was intercepted in the Palm Beach- Newport area, while a two-and-a-half metre shark was captured in the Dee Why-Manly area.
The data comes from the 90-day trials of the SMART drumlines – non-lethal systems which are placed near shark nets and detain sharks for tagging and release in a location away from the coast.
Minister Marshall said that the trials were a massive success and greatly assisted in reducing attacks at NSW beaches.
“The beauty of this technology is that it not only prevents shark encounters but it also allows scientists to monitor the tagged sharks and learn more about their behaviour,” he stated.
“The trial is helping us learn more about shark movements and the effectiveness of this technology.”
The goal of the trial is to eventually reduce the number of shark nets in use across NSW as the nets are known to cause the deaths of a large amount of sea animals including dolphins, rays, and turtles. It was revealed in 2017 that for every 130 sharks caught in the NSW netting program, 615 non-target marine animals were captured, and around 300 killed.
Marshall explained that the drumlines would continue to be tested and analysed before shark nets were removed.
SEE ALSO: Woolworths to crackdown on self-checkout theft with new tech
Written by Kate Stevens
Images: NSW Department of Primary Industries
