A push for "outdated" shark nets to be removed from Newcastle waters will be raised at Tuesday's council meeting.
Greens councillor Charlotte McCabe has lodged a motion for council to write to the NSW Agriculture Minister and respond to a NSW Department of Primary Industries survey asking for the shark nets to be permanently removed.
Cr McCabe referenced NSW government data that found 13 per cent of the 557 marine wildlife caught in shark meshing in Newcastle between 2000/01 and 2021/22 were the targeted bull, tiger or white sharks.
The remaining 87 per cent of bycatch included protected and threatened species, as well as turtles, whales, stingrays and non-targeted shark species.
The nets are also 150 metres long and 500 metres offshore, meaning they do not stop sharks swimming around them - with 40 per cent of shark catches occurring on the beach side of the net.
"I really do not think they're keeping people safe from sharks," Cr McCabe said. "They may be giving people a false sense of security."
A NSW DPI fact sheet said nets were commonly viewed as "old and outdated technology" and were the least-liked shark mitigation method due to levels of bycatch and mortality.
Sharks nets have been used in NSW since the 1930s. They are installed at 51 beaches between Newcastle and Wollongong from September 1 to April 30 to avoid the northern whale migration.
She said she supported more modern technologies including drone surveillance, SMART drumlines (which attract sharks and allow them to be tagged and released) and personal shark deterrents.
Cr McCabe also called for more community education about sharks, and what to do if someone is bitten to avoid fatal blood loss.
Council made a similar submission to the NSW Government's review of its Shark Management Strategy 2021, calling to phase out of shark nets in favour of alternative modern shark mitigation measures.
However the nets have continued to be taken out and put back into the water at Stockton, Nobbys, Newcastle, Bar, Dixon Park and Merewether beaches each year.
"I'm pushing for them not to be put back in," Cr McCabe said.
"We've been completely ignored by the state government."
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