50 new drumlines to prevent shark attack

NSW Department of Primary Industries has expanded its shark-attack prevention strategy with 50 new Smart drumlines in addition to the 35 already being successfully used on the North Coast.

The Minister Niall Blair said the 85 Smart drumlines on the water are the future of shark detection and mitigation and that DPI is leading the world in this technology.

"They protect human life while minimising the impact on marine species,” the Minister said.

"You can’t argue with the data — Smart drumlines have proven to be five-times more effective than mesh nets on the North Coast during our six month trial earlier this year."

Mesh nets caught just seven target sharks (including three White Sharks) while 25 Smart drumlines caught 37 target sharks (including 31 White Sharks) in the same period.

Ten new Smart drumlines will be trialled off beaches in five coastal locations including Shellharbour-Kiama, Shoalhaven, Mid North Coast, Forster and Byron Bay.

Smart drumlines will be deployed daily (weather permitting). When a shark is caught, the integrated communications unit sends an alert via phone, email and text to contractors and researchers who attend and, if conditions permit, sharks are tagged, relocated and released.

"We are targeting White, Bull and Tiger Sharks to look at their movements over time in order to gain a better understanding of behaviour patterns," Mr Blair said.

Similar to the VR4G listening stations, the locations for the Smart drumlines are based on historical data on shark attacks, aerial surveillance, beach-use data and consultation with relevant local councils.

"These tagged sharks are able to be tracked on our network of 20 VR4G listening stations which are also located near all five coastal areas to provide real-time tracking data."

The NSW DPI has called for tenders for the daily deployment and retrieval of the Smart Drumlines up until mid-2018.

More on Great White Sharks at this NSW Fisheries page.