Fatal attack revives debate over controversial shark nets in Australia

The use of controversial shark nets was about to be scaled back in Sydney when a surfer was killed.

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He's been a surfer for 50 years and, in that time, he says he rarely thought about sharks.

"You're aware you're stepping into their environment, so you're cautious," the 61-year-old told the BBC.

But Mr Butler's confidence on the water was shattered last month.

He'd gone for a surf with his friends one Saturday morning at Long Reef in Sydney's northern beaches. A few minutes after Mr Butler got out of the water, fellow surfer Mercury Psillakis was killed by a great white shark.