Ballina Shire councillor Sharon Cadwallader wants shark nets installed ‘as a matter of urgency’ with a program of by-catch release.
Cr Cadwallader has lodged a notice of motion for tomorrow’s council meeting to ‘thank the NSW State Government for the work it is doing in protecting our ocean users in Ballina shire’.
Her motion is likely to be controversial given that Ballina’s mayor David Wright is on record speaking against shark nets, preferring other options such as smart drum lines and aerial surveillance.
Ballina’s Greens MP Tamara Smith is also a vocal critic of using nets, a view shared by former Greens MP Ian Cohen, a Byron surfer who describes them as ‘walls of death’.
Ms Smith has argued for a Shark Watch program similar to those run in South Africa and crowdfunding is underway to cover the costs of having five teams in place by Christmas if the government refuses to provide funding.
Meanwhile, a rally on Sunday at Lighthouse Beach attracted hundreds of people opposed to netting.
The divisive issue is sure to result in heated debate tomorrow, but Cr Cadwallader said it was important for the community to understand the elected council’s support, or otherwise, for the strategy.
Her motion calls on the council to thanks the state government for taking action on the introduction of a trial on netting, similar to that used in Newcastle, Sydney and Wollongong.
She also wants a by-catch release program and extra funding for equipment and patrols for local lifesavers.
Her motion also calls on the council to advise that it does not support a cull on sharks.
An attack on Jade Fitzpatrick, 36, by a shark between Suffolk Park and Broken Head on Monday was the third in a month, prompting NSW Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair to promise new laws to install the nets before the summer school holidays, despite fears they could capture and kill other marine life.
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