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NSW shark attacks: hi-tech drum lines to catch, tag and release predators planned NSW shark attacks: hi-tech drum lines to catch, tag and release predators planned
(about 2 hours later)
Beaches in northern NSW will have “smart” drum lines installed off the coast this summer, which will be used to hook and tag sharks before releasing them further out to sea.Beaches in northern NSW will have “smart” drum lines installed off the coast this summer, which will be used to hook and tag sharks before releasing them further out to sea.
The state minister for primary industries, Niall Blair, is due to announce the $16m shark management strategy in Coffs Harbour on Wednesday. Drones will also be trialled and surveillance boosted to better protect swimmers and surfers from sharks as part of a $16m state government shark strategy.
Ballina will be the first beach in the state to get the technology, which is used in the shark-infested waters off Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. The state minister for primary industries, Niall Blair, is due to announce the strategy in Coffs Harbour on Wednesday.
Ballina will be the first beach in the state to get the “smart” drum lines, which have been used in the shark-infested waters off Reunion in the Indian Ocean.
The drum lines have a GPS-enabled buoy attached that sends an alert as soon as a shark is caught on the line. NSW fisheries contractors then visit the site to tag and release the shark away from swimmers and surfers.The drum lines have a GPS-enabled buoy attached that sends an alert as soon as a shark is caught on the line. NSW fisheries contractors then visit the site to tag and release the shark away from swimmers and surfers.
The system has been successfully deployed in Reunion, where the majority of sharks have been released without harm. In trials in Reunion, the majority of sharks have been released without harm.
The state government has also promised a series of 4G “listening stations” along the north coast to provide real-time tracking of tagged sharks.The state government has also promised a series of 4G “listening stations” along the north coast to provide real-time tracking of tagged sharks.
The first field tests of drones will begin on Wednesday at Coffs Harbour.
Blair said there was no easy way to reduce shark attacks, with the government’s approach drawing on both available science and emerging technologies.
“These are the first of several trials that will get under way across the state’s beaches this summer as we take an integrated approach to working out a long-term solution,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
Helicopter surveillance will also be beefed up on the north coast.
Shark-spotting choppers will fly between Byron Bay and Evans head for at least three hours a day between 1 December and 26 January.