And Greens candidate for Lord Mayor of Wollongong Jess Whittaker says the community agrees.

Ms Whittaker was at Thirroul Beach on Thursday, where a bottlenose dolphin was found dead in a shark net last week.

"The Greens set up a stall at Thirroul over the weekend to talk to people about shark nets and I can say the community sentiment was overwhelmingly in favour of removing the net," Ms Whittaker said.

"People understand that entering the ocean comes with an element of personal responsibility.

"The community told us that they want the government to stop using outdated technology and focus on methods to reduce risk that are kind to the environment, effective and good value."

Last year the NSW Government said there was not enough time to remove the nets and full transition to other forms of shark safety for beachgoers.

The Department of Primary Industries' (DPI) shark net statistics show the majority of animals caught in nets are not the three target species - white, tiger and bull sharks.

Most of the "bycatch" - including rays, dolphins and turtles, as well as hammerhead and grey nurse sharks - is dead when found.

Ms Whittaker said the nets should be removed without further ado.

"We know that shark nets catch mainly other species other than sharks," she said.

"Shark nets are an old method that don't keep swimmers and surfers safe. The state government needs to remove them from our beaches.

"Just like we educate about swimming between the flags, we can also help reduce the risk of shark interactions by providing advice about not swimming in murky water, at dawn or dusk or when there are bait fish around, as well as guidance on the range of personal shark deterrent devices available."

After the dolphin was found dead last week by Thirroul man Peter Armstrong's drone photography, DPI said the nets should be checked at least every three days.

"The Shark Meshing Program is actively managed to minimise the impact on marine animals while protecting swimmers at some of NSW's most popular beaches," a DPI spokesperson said last week.

"As part of the NSW Shark Meshing Program, frequent inspections are carried out by contractors to minimise the impact on non-target species.

"These inspections are combined with a range of technology including dolphin 'pingers' and whale 'alarms' to deter marine mammals from the nets."

Nic Colquhoun, founder of the Thirroul branch of environmental group Plasticwise, said there should be time this year to try removing the nets.

"Given they're spending $85 million on smarter technology, I think they could easily look at trialling it without the nets," she said.

Ms Whittaker was announced in February as the Greens candidate for Lord Mayor. She is also running for a Ward 1 councillor position, after previously trying in 2021.