Photo: Morne Hardenberg/Atlantic Edge
2015 was a heavy year for Australia. From the horror on the northern coast of New South Wales to the slew of attacks in the west, fear permeated into the minds of beach enthusiasts nation wide, as citizens and government were at a virtual standstill, completely unsure of how to combat the recent spike of shark attacks that gripped the continent. Today, the Western Australian government is making moves.
The WA government recently announced that they would be allocating $1.5 million of state budget to a new shark tagging program and an additional $400,000 towards beach enclosures, a step experts assure is the best system for detecting real shark threats.
“This world-class detection network is providing invaluable information on the presence of potentially dangerous sharks off our popular beaches with more than 860 sharks already tagged, including more than 220 white sharks,” Fisheries Minister, Joe Francis, told the Sydney Morning Herald.
The minister continued by assuring that the SharkSmart‘s website would provide all water users with up-to-date information on shark alerts, detections, and sightings.
“The department will also provide hazard monitoring and a response capacity in the event of a shark attack, identification of a serious threat, or (upon the arrival of) whale carcasses.”
Greens MLC’s Lynn MacLaren said the shark monitoring network is the best system for detecting real shark threats.
“Only sharks big enough to bite a human are tagged and the species and size are known immediately one is detected,” she said. “The Barnett government wasted millions on drum lines two years ago. I’m pleased it appears to have thought it through and is now taking the sensible approach.”
The Western Australian’s efforts might not be foolproof, but it’s a step in the right direction toward shark attack mitigation and prevention. It goes without saying that it’s a more logical approach to what came before, including culling (which is, by the way, an utterly savage, mindless resolution). It will be interesting too see the effectiveness of the program and whether or not others will choose to follow suit.
