Abstract
[Extract]
While shark bite incidents are rare, they are extremely traumatic. To reduce the risk of shark bite incidents
and fatalities, the New South Wales (NSW) Government provides a suite of bather protection measures
including:
• A shark meshing program along 51 beaches between Wollongong and Stockton;
• The public awareness program ‘SharkSmart’, designed to inform and educate water sports
enthusiasts about ways to reduce the risk of a shark bite incident;
• A Shark Incident Response Plan, which provides a coordinated government response to shark
related incidents;
• Grants to assist the construction of observation towers and provide associated shark-spotting
equipment; and
• Research to investigate better ways to use aerial surveillance to provide additional bather protection
during the peak beach activity season.
The NSW Government is committed to a comprehensive approach to bather protection and is currently
investigating emerging technologies for potential use off some ocean beaches in NSW, Australia to further
reduce the chances of a shark bite incident. Cardno was commissioned by the NSW Department of Primary
Industries (DPI) to undertake the first part of this process: an independent review of technologies currently
available. This report presents the findings of the desktop review which was presented at a stakeholder
workshop where a ‘short list’ of feasible technologies was discussed for possible trial off some NSW ocean
beaches.
While shark bite incidents are rare, they are extremely traumatic. To reduce the risk of shark bite incidents
and fatalities, the New South Wales (NSW) Government provides a suite of bather protection measures
including:
• A shark meshing program along 51 beaches between Wollongong and Stockton;
• The public awareness program ‘SharkSmart’, designed to inform and educate water sports
enthusiasts about ways to reduce the risk of a shark bite incident;
• A Shark Incident Response Plan, which provides a coordinated government response to shark
related incidents;
• Grants to assist the construction of observation towers and provide associated shark-spotting
equipment; and
• Research to investigate better ways to use aerial surveillance to provide additional bather protection
during the peak beach activity season.
The NSW Government is committed to a comprehensive approach to bather protection and is currently
investigating emerging technologies for potential use off some ocean beaches in NSW, Australia to further
reduce the chances of a shark bite incident. Cardno was commissioned by the NSW Department of Primary
Industries (DPI) to undertake the first part of this process: an independent review of technologies currently
available. This report presents the findings of the desktop review which was presented at a stakeholder
workshop where a ‘short list’ of feasible technologies was discussed for possible trial off some NSW ocean
beaches.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Place of Publication | St Leonards |
| Publisher | NSW Department of Primary Industries |
| Commissioning body | NSW Department of Primary Industries |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 2015 |