Multiple beaches in Sydney's northern suburbs have been closed after a fatal shark attack at Long Reef Beach on Saturday. Photo / Getty Images
A surfer’s death on Sydney’s Northern Beaches has prompted the immediate suspension of a New South Wales Government trial aimed at reducing shark nets at certain beaches.
The decision has reignited a long-standing debate about the nets’ effectiveness and environmental impact.
On Saturday morning, 57-year-old Mercury Psillakis was fatally mauled by what police described as a “large” shark off Long Reef Beach at Dee Why.
The shark is believed to have been a white shark between 3.4m and 3.6m in length.
Psillakis has been remembered as an “absolute hero”, with friends and fellow surfers recounting his final actions in warning others to get out of the water after spotting the shark.
He suffered critical injuries and died at the scene, leaving behind his wife and young daughter.
It is Sydney’s second fatal shark attack since February 2022, after the death of British diving instructor Simon Nellist off Little Bay.
Dee Why Beach, adjacent to Long Reef, had a shark net installed at the time, while Long Reef relies on drumlines rather than a net.
Just a week before the attack, shark nets were deployed as usual at 51 popular Sydney beaches as part of the annual installation programme between Newcastle and Wollongong.
The NSW Government had planned a trial of net removal at some locations, but after Psillakis’ death, Premier Chris Minns announced the trial’s suspension until a report from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPI) into the incident is completed.
The trial had stalled partly because local councils, including Northern Beaches Council, had been asked to nominate beaches for net removal but no decisions had been made.
Northern Beaches Mayor Sue Heins said on Monday the council welcomed the NSW Government’s investigation and “will continue to help with this in any way we can”.
“While the debate about shark nets is inevitable following the weekend’s tragedy, our focus remains on supporting our community, who are still coming to terms with it,” Heins said.
“Long Reef and Dee Why beaches remain closed today, and we’ll continue to assess the risk in the coming days.
“In the meantime, lifeguards on jet skis and drones continue to patrol along the beaches.”
Minns said on Monday he was not going to make a “rash decision” before investigators had examined the fatality and surrounding circumstances.
“It’s obviously a terrible tragedy and I need to work out what the next steps are. That won’t happen until we get the report back,” Minns said.
Central Coast councillor Jared Wright said shark attacks at netted beaches were rare – mostly because of “good luck”.
“I believe we owe it to the (Psillakis) family and that community to look at what additional technology can be used across all of our beaches, to help keep beachgoers safe and to help prevent cases like these happening in the future,” Wright said.
“This happened at a netted beach and while shark attacks at netted beaches are rare, that has largely been a matter of good luck rather than good management.”
Wright said many community members were unaware the nets were only 150m long, while some local beaches stretch over a kilometre.
“We have 15 patrolled beaches on the Central Coast with 11 of them using shark nets. We also have 32 smart drumlines in the water, three shark listening devices and three beaches using drone technology,” he said.
“Central Coast Council has had an adopted position for years that we want to be using a mix of more modern and innovative solutions and this was reaffirmed at our August council meeting, with unanimous support for being part of the shark net trial.”
Shark nets have been used in Australia since the late 1930s.
Typically placed 500m from popular swimming beaches, the mesh nets measure about 150m in length and 6m deep, designed to intercept sharks moving toward shore.
NSW and Queensland are the only states in Australia that use shark nets. NSW generally deploys them from September to April, while Queensland keeps them in place year-round at 86 beaches.
For the 2024-25 season, NSW removed nets a month early to avoid increased turtle activity.
However, the nets’ effectiveness is fiercely debated.
Research suggests shark bite rates do not differ significantly between netted and non-netted beaches.
The Australian Marine Conservation Society says animals entangled in the nets can attract large sharks to shore.
The NSW Threatened Species Scientific Committee has also highlighted a lack of evidence that meshing programmes reduce fatalities, with some studies attributing declining death rates more to improved beach patrols and emergency medical services than to nets.
Conservationists criticise the high bycatch of non-target species. During the 2024–25 summer, turtles, dolphins, and the endangered grey nurse shark were among 233 animals caught in NSW nets. Only 24 (11%) were targeted sharks (tiger, bull, white).
According to the Australian Marine Conservation Society, between 2000 and 2025, NSW shark nets caught 97 dolphins, 234 turtles, 2300 rays, 188 critically endangered grey nurse sharks, and 2679 non-target sharks.
Since 2000, 93% of animals caught were not target species, with 62% of these dying.
Shark nets are recognised in law as a “key threatening process” to threatened species under both the NSW Fisheries Management Act 1994 and the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.
Modern, non-lethal alternatives to traditional shark nets are increasingly being promoted.
Listening stations detect tagged sharks within 500m of a beach, with 37 installed across the state.
Drones, deployed by Surf Life Saving NSW at 50 locations, provide aerial surveillance to spot sharks near popular swimming areas.
The Government-funded SharkSmart app offers real-time shark alerts, while community education programmes, such as Surfing NSW’s Surfers Rescue 24/7, provide first-aid training, customised medical kits, and public guidance on shark-smart behaviour.
SMART drumlines use baited hooks to attract sharks, triggering an alert when a shark bites; the animal is then tagged, released unharmed, and often displaced offshore.
NSW currently operates 305 SMART drumlines, however, they are also not without their criticism.
Although SMART drumlines are less lethal than shark nets, sharks and other marine life – such as turtles, dolphins, and whales – can still be caught and fatally injured by the baited hooks.
Their use is also limited by weather and daylight hours, and questions remain about how many are needed to match traditional protection. Measuring their effectiveness is difficult because of the rarity of shark-human encounters.
More than just apex predators, sharks are essential for healthy marine ecosystems.
Mark Meekan, from The University of Western Australia’s Oceans Institute, explained their crucial role in maintaining a stable ocean environment.
“Sharks play many diverse and hidden roles in maintaining a balanced ecosystem – they can be predators, competitors, facilitators, nutrient transporters and food,” Meekan said.
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