The NSW Government has announced it is rolling out a suite of new shark safety measures.
It comes after four shark attacks at the state’s beaches over a 48 hour period last week, one of which was fatal.
The Government will spend $4.2 million on increased drone patrols, shark tagging and surveillance, and public education programs.
Context
Last week, NSW saw four shark attacks within 48 hours, injuring three people.
The most serious incident was an attack on 12-year-old Nico Antic at Vaucluse in Sydney Harbour.
Antic died over the weekend after spending a week in the hospital in a critical condition. His death marked the first fatal shark attack in the harbour in more than six decades.
Experts say the increased activity was due to rainy conditions, which draw bull sharks to beach areas.
New measures
Starting this week, drone patrols have been extended to 30 extra beaches, including 19 in Sydney and 11 in the regions.
Surf Life Saving NSW CEO Steve Pearce said this represents a 90% increase in drone operations.
The extra patrols will run until the end of the term 1 school holidays in April.
New shark detection stations will also be installed in Sydney Harbour to alert people when tagged sharks are nearby.
The funding will also go to more research targeting bull sharks in Sydney Harbour and other estuaries (where salt water meets fresh water).
The research is expected to include more tagging and tracking to better understand their movements, especially after rainfall.
The Government’s public education campaign ‘SharkSmart’ will be expanded with an additional mobile van, and increased social media alerts during high-risk periods.
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Existing measures
In NSW, shark nets are used at over 50 beaches from September to April.
Nets (also called ‘shark meshing’) were first introduced in NSW in 1937, as a way to limit dangerous shark interactions with humans. However, they don’t completely block sharks from accessing beaches.
Plans to trial removing shark nets at three Sydney beaches were halted last year after a shark killed a surfer at Long Reef in September.
SMART (Shark-Management-Alert-in-Real-Time) drumlines are baited buoys set around 500 metres from the shore.
When a shark eats the bait it triggers an alert. A team responds within 30 minutes to tag the shark with a tracker and relocate it away from the beach. Swimmers can see updated tracking information about the movements of tagged sharks in their area, via the SharkSmart app.
There are 305 SMART drumlines in place along NSW’s coast.
Comments
Shark expert Dr Daryl McPhee from Bond University told TDA that “there is no 100% way to eliminate shark bites,” but that drones are a “ very important tool for identifying sharks and providing that information back to surf lifesavers.”
NSW Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said the funding will mean “swimmers and surfers can make informed decisions about when to enter the water.”
Several beaches that were closed following the shark attacks have since been reopened.
First aid
Tourniquets can be used to slow the flow of blood following a shark attack.
Some northern NSW beaches have shark bite response kits containing tourniquets, as well as compression bandages, dressings, a whistle, a thermal blanket and instructions.
These kits can also be bought online.
If you need to stop bleeding without a shark bite response kit, a 2021 Australian National University (ANU) study found using bodyweight to apply pressure on the femoral artery, between the hip and genitals, is an effective way to stop blood flow to the legs.
