Central Coast Council wishes to advise the community that shark nets at eleven patrolled beaches will be removed on 31 March 2025, one month earlier than in previous years. This change, directed by the NSW Government, is part of the updated 2024-25 NSW Shark Management Program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The beaches affected are Lakes Beach, Soldiers Beach, The Entrance, Shelly Beach, Terrigal Beach, North Avoca Beach, Avoca Beach, Copacabana Beach, MacMasters Beach, Killcare Beach and Umina Beach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Central Coast Council Director Community and Recreation Services, Melanie Smith said Council supports the NSW Government\u2019s decision to remove the shark nets a month earlier to avoid the peak turtle migration period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe NSW Government is implementing these changes to prioritise the safety of beachgoers while increasing protections for marine life,\u201d Ms Smith said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs the removal is taking place during the Council\u2019s lifeguard patrol season, which concludes on 27 April 2025, Council lifeguards will continue to patrol these beaches until the end of the season.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Council Mayor, Lawrie McKinna said the safety of locals and visitors to Central Coast beaches remains paramount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs a regular swimmer at Terrigal Beach, I understand the importance of swimming between the flags and urge locals and visitors to continue doing this at our patrolled beaches,\u201d Mayor McKinna said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlthough the shark nets are being removed, Council lifeguards and surf lifesavers continue to implement other shark mitigation measures to help keep beachgoers safe, so please follow their advice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to removing the shark nets one month earlier, the NSW Government is using drones to check nets throughout March, and the net boats will be out more frequently during this time doing extra net checks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The NSW Government is also trialling LED lights on shark nets at Central Coast beaches, with aims to reduce catches of endangered turtles and other threatened species during periods of relatively high abundance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The NSW Government has not yet confirmed whether the shark nets will be reinstated for the next season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Central Coast Council and the NSW Government encourage the community to beSharkSmart<\/strong><\/a>. Download the free SharkSmart app to receive real-time alerts for SMART drumline target shark capture\/releases, tagged shark detections, SLS NSW and Surfing NSW drone shark sightings and other shark-related information. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Central Coast Council wishes to advise the community that shark nets at eleven patrolled beaches will be removed on 31 March 2025, one month earlier than in previous years. This…","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8762,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-8761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-events"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/03\/fishing-net-sand.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/feed\/podcast\/coffee-with-a-coastie","embedCode":"Shark Nets to Be Removed Early at Central Coast Beaches<\/a><\/blockquote>