A woman is in a critical condition after she was bitten by a shark at Coogee Beach in Sydney’s east on Saturday.
The 35-year-old was swimming about 30 metres from the shore at the time of the incident. She was airlifted to hospital with serious arm and leg injuries.
It’s the latest in a string of attacks this year, putting Australia’s shark mitigation programs back in the spotlight, with some calling for better surveillance systems and others proposing a cull.
Here’s what to know about shark attacks and how governments are trying to prevent them.
Attacks
Australia has averaged between two and three fatal shark attacks per year since 2000. There were five in 2025.
There have been four shark attack deaths in Australia so far this year, including a 12-year-old boy who was bitten by a bull shark in Sydney Harbour in January.
On Saturday, a woman was swimming between the flags at Coogee when she was bitten by what experts believe was a great white shark.
The victim has been identified as 35-year-old Sydney teacher and mother Leah Stewart.
Stewart’s family said she remains “in a critical condition” after sustaining “life-threatening” injuries.
“[She] has undergone multiple surgeries in the days after the attack. She will need extensive ongoing care, support and rehabilitation,” a statement read.
A local captured the aftermath of the incident and suspected shark swimming off Coogee.
Why?
Researchers from James Cook University have linked global warming to changing shark migration patterns.
Warmer water temperatures may cause some shark species, in particular bull and tiger sharks, to linger for longer periods off the NSW coast.
Speaking to TDA earlier this year, shark biologist Dr Darryl McPhee said while the number of shark bites has been increasing over time in the state: “You’re substantially at a greater risk of drowning at a surf beach than you are [of] being killed by a shark”.
Mitigation
Several methods aimed at mitigating shark attacks are in place in NSW, including the use of more than 300 ‘SMART’ (Shark Management Alert In Real-Time) drumlines along the coast.
These anchored buoys are rigged with a GPS communications unit and baited hooks.
Within 30 minutes of an animal taking the bait, the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) deploys a team to tag and release the shark.
When a tagged shark swims within 500 metres of DPI’s network of 37 tagged shark listening stations, an alert is instantly sent to the SharkSmart app.
This allows swimmers and surfers to track tagged sharks nearby in real time.
Since 2016, more than 1,570 white sharks have been tagged using the SMART drumlines.
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Hundreds of tiger and bull sharks have also been tagged during that time.
Shark nets
Shark nets are also used at several NSW beaches from September to April.
Nets (also called ‘shark meshing’) were first introduced in NSW in 1937, as a way to limit dangerous shark interactions with humans. However, sharks can swim over, under and around them.
Shark nets used in NSW are:
- 150 metres wide
- 6m deep
- Set 4m below the surface
- Placed within 500m of the shore
More than 90% of animals caught in shark nets are ‘non-target species,’ according to DPI data. This includes endangered grey nurse sharks and turtle species.
In 2023/24, 36% of the animals caught in NSW nets were released alive.
According to Humane World for Animals, the Coogee net did not catch a single target shark from 2020 to 2025.
In 2025, Randwick Council voted to remove them. However, the State Government controls deployment and overruled this vote. At the time of Saturday’s attack, Coogee’s shark net had already been removed for winter.
Drones
Drones are another method for tracking sharks, spotting more than 1,000 in NSW in the past year.
However, Coogee beach sits under a major flight path, meaning drones have been banned from operating in the airspace above it.
The NSW Government temporarily lifted the restriction on Sunday.
It is now reviewing whether to permanently allow low-flying drones for shark surveillance in the area.
Culling
This week, former Prime Minister and current Liberal party president Tony Abbott called for a shark cull.
NSW Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty told Sky News she wasn’t “ruling anything out”. However, Premier Chris Minns has rejected a white shark cull.
“I’m not convinced it would work and certainly we haven’t received evidence or information that it would work,” he said.
White sharks are protected under the Federal Government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
