Goodbye shark nets!
Great news for the residents and visitors of Coledale, Austinmer and Thirroul beaches as we are set to receive more efficient and innovative technologies to deter sharks.
Last month Wollongong City Council voted unanimously to get rid of the outdated shark nets and replace them with more progressive and effective methods such as aerial drones, helicopter surveillance, listening stations, personal shark deterrent devices and SMART drumlines.
Of the marine life that has been caught and entangled in NSW shark nets, 94% were dolphins, turtles and stingrays, as well as many other threatened and protected species. Of the new technologies that are presented as favourable alternatives to shark nets, marine scientists from the University of Wollongong welcome the use of SMART drumlines as they provide valuable data for ongoing research.
Petroleum Exploration protests
The Surfrider Foundation has been busy protesting against the Petroleum Exploration Permit 11 (PEP11) licence due to expire in February this year.
PEP11 is a licence for oil and gas exploration in the Sydney Basin just off beaches between Manly and Newcastle. Mining companies Advent Energy, BPH Energy, Bounty Oil & Gas are now pushing for NOPTA (National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator) to approve a licence extension and change the title to allow drilling for oil and gas offshore.
The decision, to be made by the Minister for Resources, Keith Pitt MP, has been postponed from the February deadline but could be imminent, so we need to make lots of noise on this.
A few weeks ago, over 250 surfers and ocean lovers participated in a paddle out at Mona Vale Basin with former surfing world champions Tom Carroll, Layne Beachley and Rob Bain, and renowned cinematographer Jack McCoy.
Save the Farm paddle out
If you’re up for a paddle out then join South Coast Surfrider and come to Killalea State Park (aka ‘The Farm’) on Saturday May 1st at 10am as we stand up to Reflections Holiday Parks and TAKE BACK THE TRUST and SAVE THE FARM.
Killalea is officially recognised as a National Surfing Reserve, which covers a stretch of 3.5km of protected coastline. We want Killalea to go back to being a community-based Trust, as the current professional Trust held by Reflections Holiday Parks has failed to satisfy community expectations, especially with regards to their recent development proposal.
We invite surfers to come and take part as we need all hands on deck to stop the overdevelopment of the National Surfing Reserve into a tourist holiday park. In addition to this, we aim to set a new Guinness World Record – the current world record paddle out set at Huntington Beach Surf Museum is 511 – and we will be observing the protocols of social distancing.
Update: Protest success! After the paddle out on May 1, SBS reported: "About 680 people paddled into the waves on Saturday, well above the record of 511 people set in California in 2017. It will need to be registered with Guinness World Records before being made official."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Susie Crick is the Ocean Plastics Director at Surfrider Foundation and sits on three environmental Boards. Her day job is the Director of Planet Childcare in Coledale. Susie is a crew member of the all-female eXXpedition sailing research mission exploring plastics and toxics in our oceans. Protecting the marine environment is her passion.
