GALLERY: Surfers evacuated after 2.5m bull shark spotted
DEPARTMENT of Primary Industries alerted beachgoers and emergency authorities after a large shark was spotted by their helicopter at Ballina this morning.
Several surfers were evacuated from the water when the 2.5 metre bull shark was seen lurking close to the water's surface at Sharpes Beach, about 7.30.
"The nets do not stretch from one end of a beach to the other," a DPI spokesperson said.
"They are not designed to create a total barrier between bathers and sharks - they are designed to reduce the chances of dangerous sharks aggregating near meshed beaches, thereby reducing the chances of a shark interaction."
The most recent sighting comes at the DPI's shark monitoring team tag three bull sharks at the Richmond River this week.
There were recent calls by the community to have warning signs installed at the river after a bull shark was caught off a tinnie by a family lunching at Pimilico on Saturday, February 5.
