AFP, SYDNEY
Australia is to expand shark-spotting drone coverage year-round at beaches across Sydney and beyond from Wednesday, authorities said yesterday, following a rise in attacks and sightings.The New South Wales (NSW) state government said it would invest an additional A$34 million (US$23.4 million) in drones, harnessing artificial intelligence and emerging technologies in a “major scale-up” of coverage.The decision would boost investment in “shark mitigation” in the state to A$120 million over the next two years, the government said in a statement.
A pilot flies Surf Life Saving NSW shark-spotting drone at Coogee Beach in Sydney on June 16.
“While no one can ever promise no shark interactions, this investment is about putting more eyes in the sky so we can spot sharks earlier and give people a clear heads-up when they’re in the water,” NSW Premier Chris Minns said. “More drones in the air means we’re getting a better picture of what’s happening offshore and it means we’ll get better at seeing them.”The enlarged drone monitoring deployment comes after a string of incidents in the state.
A local teacher swimming at Sydney’s popular Coogee beach was mauled by a shark on June 13.She was left in intensive care where her family said she has faced multiple surgeries including the amputation of her arm.Sightings of a great white shark at Bondi Beach led to beach closures for three days in a row.A 12-year-old boy died after he was bitten by a shark while playing in Sydney Harbour in January and a bull shark killed a woman swimming at a remote beach north of Sydney in November.In other parts of the country, three divers were fatally mauled in separate incidents between May and this month — two in Western Australia and the third in Queensland.Under the expanded drone watch run by Surf Life Saving NSW, about 70 beaches in the state — including 38 in Sydney — would be monitored every day.“Surf Life Saving NSW will prioritize beaches with high numbers of swimmers, surfers and paddlers including in Sydney and the North Coast, where shark incidents have become more frequent,” the state government said.Drone flight hours would be extended from dawn to dusk, and coverage would include popular beaches that are not patrolled by lifesavers.Australian scientists believe rising ocean temperatures are shifting sharks’ migratory patterns, which might be contributing to an uptick in attacks.There have been nearly 1,300 shark incidents around Australia since 1791, of which more than 260 resulted in death, according to a database of shark encounters with humans.Australia has a multilayered approach to protection against sharks, including old-fashioned nets, which have come under criticism for trapping other marine species and their questionable effectiveness.Lifeguards and drones can also spot the marine predators and alert beachgoers to the danger, often with a siren.In New South Wales, sharks are lured by bait to “SMART drumlines” where they are then tagged with devices that can be detected when they swim past one of dozens of listening stations along the coast.That sets off an alarm on the SharkSmart app, giving beachgoers an instant notification on their smartphones and smart watches.
