environment · Central Coast Council
Terri the seal at centre of 14-1 push to stop Terrigal shark nets
Central Coast councillors want a 2026 moratorium on shark nets and have urged the State Government to halt the planned 1 September installation at Terrigal Beach.
Terri the seal is at the centre of Central Coast Council’s 14-1 push to stop shark nets being installed at Terrigal Beach on 1 September 2026.
Councillors voted to seek a moratorium on shark-net installation across the Central Coast, reaffirmed their support for removing the nets and warned of the risk to marine life. Cr Trent McWaide was the only councillor to vote against the motion.
The motion, moved by Cr Kyle MacGregor and seconded by Cr Belinda Neal, noted that Terri, a young seal, has made Terrigal Beach his home. The seal regularly heads out to sea at night to feed before returning to the beach.
Council expressed concern that Terri could face entanglement, injury or death if a shark net is returned to Terrigal, along with other marine creatures.
The resolution asks Mayor Lawrie McKinna or Chief Executive Officer David Farmer to write urgently to Minister Tara Moriarty and Central Coast MP David Harris. The correspondence is to seek a 2026 moratorium on shark nets across the Central Coast and for the planned Terrigal installation not to proceed.
Council also requested an active drone program and a shark-listening device for Terrigal Beach through Surf Life Saving New South Wales.
Councillors noted that the State Government’s planned installation was due to begin on 1 September. They also recalled that Central Coast Council had been selected for a trial in which one shark net would not be installed at a Central Coast beach. The State Government cancelled that trial in 2025.
The resolution follows Council’s earlier commitment to take part in that trial and puts the council behind an urgent appeal to the State Government before the scheduled installation date.
Councillors are to be advised of the outcome of the representations. The resolution does not give Council control over the State Government’s shark-mitigation program, but formally records its opposition to the planned net at Terrigal and its support for drone and listening-device measures.
Reference minutes
This report is based on Central Coast Council’s Ordinary Council Meeting held on 25 and 31 August 2026.
Key facts from the minutes
- Central Coast Council voted 14-1 to seek a moratorium on shark-net installation on the Central Coast in 2026.
- Installation at Terrigal Beach was scheduled to begin on 1 September 2026.
- The motion expressed concern that the seal known as Terri could face entanglement, injury or death.
- Council asked for an active drone program and shark-listening device through Surf Life Saving NSW.
- Cr Trent McWaide was the only councillor to vote against the motion.
- The council had previously been selected for a trial excluding one shark net at a Central Coast beach, but the trial was cancelled by the State Government in 2025.
Why it matters
- The vote places Central Coast Council behind an urgent appeal to stop shark nets at Terrigal Beach, with the seal known as Terri and other marine life identified as being at risk.