NSW to step up shark patrols at beaches

The NSW primary industries minister says additional shark patrols will operate at beaches in the state's north during the school holidays.

A helicoper patrols Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach (File: AAP)

Additional aerial patrols will scan for sharks at beaches on the NSW north coast during the school holidays.

Between Saturday and October 6, the government will fund extra shark surveillance in waters from Byron Bay to Evans Head, Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair said.

There have been 13 shark attacks in NSW so far this year, up from three in 2014, but only one person - 41-year-old surfer Tadashi Nakahara - has been killed.