A great white shark has been pulled dead from nets at Bondi Beach in Sydney.

The NSW Department of Primary Industries said "a male great white shark of approximately 2.5 metres in length was found in a shark net off Bondi Beach" on Wednesday morning.

"The shark was found during routine inspections by specialist contractors who carry out operations as part of the NSW shark meshing program," a spokeswoman said.

Staff will conduct an autopsy for research purposes.

The spokeswoman stressed the nets at Bondi Beach "do not stretch from one end of the beach to the other" and were "not designed to create a total barrier between bathers and sharks".