Seven beaches between Palm Beach on the Gold Coast and Moore Park in Bundaberg have been marked to receive additional nets and drumlines.
Six beaches between Coolangatta and Agnes Waters have been identified for expansion of the drone surveillance program.
Unlike in NSW, where shark nets are removed during whale migration season, Queensland’s shark nets are installed year-round.
The NSW government has resisted calls from multiple beachside councils to remove them indefinitely.
The Queensland government’s expanded plan does include research into technology to deter whales from nets and a study into shark population sizes but conservationists are not convinced.
Envoy Foundation co-founder Andre Borell said the group had advised the government on non-lethal, modern alternatives to nets and drumlines only a month ago but had been ignored.
“This is going to be a bloodbath,” Borell told 9News.
“This is a war on sharks… a war on all wildlife that happens to live in the ocean.”
Environmental scientist Dr Daryl McPhee from Bond University has also questioned the logistics of expanding the program.
“It’s going to be a challenge just in terms of practicality,” McPhee said.
“There’s constraints regarding getting operators in place or expanding the operation.
“Will there still be shark bites in Queensland? Unfortunately, yes.
”Will the risk of a shark bite remain low? Yes.”
