Shark spotting technology is being rolled out along the NSW coastline including here in Newcastle ahead of the summer months.
The NSW Government now has the world’s largest suite of shark management tools and technologies with the funding for the Shark Management Program now tripled to $21.4 million.
Beaches at Newcastle and Lake Macquarie will be seeing shark listening stations, SMART drumlines, shark tagging, shark nets and NSW Surf Life Saving Drones used and the beaches at Port Stephens will have a shark listening station and NSW Surf Life Saving drones used.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW John Barilaro said this increased funding would support the expansion of the effective, evidence-based shark management program already in place, with a host of successfully trialled technologies to be rolled out along the NSW coastline.
“The NSW Government has done the research and invested in new technologies to bring added protection to our beaches including SMART drumlines, VR4G listening stations and shark-spotting drones,” John Barilaro said.
“Over the coming weeks we will continue to work with coastal councils from Tweed to Bega Valley and everywhere in between to deliver the world’s largest shark management program to increase beachgoer safety.”
“There is no other jurisdiction in Australia or across the globe which has done as much testing and trialling of technology and approaches to mitigate shark interactions.”
Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall said the NSW Government is committed to doing everything possible to keep swimmers and surfers safe while minimising the impact on marine life by using non-invasive technologies where possible.
“We have always said there is no silver bullet when it comes to protecting beachgoers from sharks in NSW,” Adam Marshall said.
“But the NSW Government will now be operating the world’s largest shark management program aiming to get the balance right, between keeping swimmers and surfers safe, and protecting our marine life.”
“In partnership with Surf Life Saving NSW, we will deploying the world’s largest domestic fleet of drones to the state’s beaches thanks to an extra $3 million to scale up operations. This will mean more than 50 beaches will have a shark-spotting eye in the sky.”
The NSW Government encourages all beachgoers to be SharkSmart when entering the ocean or estuarine environments and download the SharkSmart app.
For more information on technologies used, visit www.sharksmart.nsw.gov.au.
In the coming weeks, the NSW Department of Primary Industries will be working with each council to determine the optimal location for SMART drumline and VR4G listening station deployments in their local area.