SHARK attack survivor John Puljak can still remember the day he was savaged by a grey nurse shark while snorkelling at Bass Point 17 years ago.Despite the terrifying ordeal, which left the keen surfer and diver with severe injuries to his hands and leg, Mr Puljak is a strong advocate of shark protection.Mr Puljak yesterday slammed the State Government's use of shark nets along the NSW coast between Newcastle and Wollongong, saying they were responsible for unnecessary slaughter of hundreds of sharks and marine animals each year."I like to speak on behalf of sharks, and I think the shark nets are a complete waste of time because of the carnage that they create - it's just not worth it," he said."It's completely uncalled for and there is a lot of other marine life that will suffer because of (the nets) - sharks, dolphins and the big eagle rays will get caught up in them, too."The State Government shark meshing program operates during the September to April swimming period and covers 51 beaches, including five in the Illawarra. Minister for Primary Industries Ian Macdonald defended the use of shark nets yesterday, saying they keep beachgoers safe."In the 70 years since shark nets were installed on beaches ... there has been one fatal shark attack," Mr Macdonald said."In comparison, in the years before 1937 we had one fatal attack per year in NSW waters."Mr Puljak was unconvinced by Mr Macdonald's argument and said shark attacks on unprotected Illawarra beaches were extremely rare.Dr David Powter, a lecturer in marine sciences at the University of Newcastle, said the government should consider increasing aerial patrols as a more environmentally friendly alternative to the shark nets.He was concerned by the lack of scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of the nets and the large amounts of by-catch that dies after becoming tangled in nets. "There's certainly a public perception that the nets are there and protecting them when in reality that's quite questionable, particularly from a scientific point of view," Dr Powter said.