A great white shark has been pulled dead from nets at Bondi Beach in Sydney.
The NSW Department of Primary Industries said "a male great white shark of approximately 2.5 metres in length was found in a shark net off Bondi Beach" on Wednesday morning.
"The shark was found during routine inspections by specialist contractors who carry out operations as part of the NSW shark meshing program," a spokeswoman said.
Staff will conduct an autopsy for research purposes.
The spokeswoman stressed the nets at Bondi Beach "do not stretch from one end of the beach to the other" and were "not designed to create a total barrier between bathers and sharks".
"They are designed to deter sharks from establishing territories, thereby reducing the odds of a shark encounter."
The NSW government said shark nets have been in place since 1937 and protect more than 2 million bathers each year.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature classes the great white shark as a "vulnerable" species, meaning it faces "a high risk of extinction in the wild".
Marine creatures found alive must be freed "where it is safe and practical to do so", the department said.
A scare for swimmers at #Bondi today with a 2.5m Great White Shark pulled from the nets. pic.twitter.com/dyszy6KrVE
— 7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) November 19, 2014
The 3 metre Great White shark caught in nets off #Bondi this morning. #TenNews 5pm pic.twitter.com/3Op86b5NI4
— TEN News Sydney (@TenNewsSydney) November 19, 2014
This year, West Australian authorities caught 172 sharks and shot 68 but has indicated it will not continue to cull this summer.
The government walked away from its policy on advice from the Environmental Protection Agency, which said there was too much uncertainty about how a cull would affect the great white population.
