Every spring since 1937, the NSW government has installed shark nets at 51 beaches in Greater Sydney. Next spring could be different.

The science has been clear for some time that the mesh nets do little to protect humans, yet do much harm to non-target species such as harmless grey nurse sharks, dolphins, humpback whales, stingrays and turtles. Now it seems the politics might also be shifting.

Last July, when Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty announced shark nets would be returning for this summer, there were two significant elements to what she said.

First, she announced that the nets would be removed one month earlier than usual to respond to increased turtle activity in April. As well as helping turtles, this could also serve the purpose of letting Moriarty test public sentiment. A lack of public outcry could embolden her to go further.

Second, Moriarty also promised to seek input from councils to inform what the program would look like for the 2025-26 summer and beyond. This might seem a somewhat milquetoast proposition, and it was largely overlooked at the time. Yet, that consultation is now underway and councils believe it to be genuine.

On Tuesday, Moriarty said she had not made a decision about the future of shark nets in NSW and would not pre-empt the consultation. She flagged that one possibility was........

© Brisbane Times