The NSW Department of Primary Industries has announced five successful grant applications aimed at new technologies to reduce shark interactions, better understanding of shark behaviour and improved shark management programs to increase protection for beachgoers.
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The new and innovative projects focus on personal shark deterrent devices – and assessing their effectiveness – as well as investigating ‘shark-cam’ technology and the social aspects of shark management and interactions.
DPI Deputy Director General Fisheries Dr Geoff Allan said the NSW Government was investing more funding into research of new technologies that may add to the existing suite of shark protection measures.
“The projects are funded under the Government’s $225,000 Shark Management Strategy Small Grants Program, which will provide competitive grant opportunities annually for each of the next four years,” he said.
“These projects will complement the NSW Government’s $16 million Shark Management Strategy, which includes SMART drumlines and tagging, drone surveillance, VR4G listening stations, community education and traditional shark nets.”
The successful projects are: The behavioural response of white sharks to commercially-available personal shark deterrents - Flinders University
This study will provide a detailed assessment of the efficiency and effect of several shark repellents by field testing them on white sharks in South Australia. The sharks’ behavioural responses will be documented to determine if they might deter a shark from biting someone wearing one of these devices.
Using “shark-cam” to unravel shark behaviour – The University of Sydney. This will test a specialised “shark-cam” to better understand the behaviour of sharks when they are in near-shore regions. Small cameras will be attached to tagged sharks to help develop understanding of what sharks do in shallow inshore waters where they might interact with humans.
Developing a rapid method to assess personal electrical and magnet-based shark deterrent devices - Macquarie University. This project will develop a quick and cost effective way to assess the effectiveness of personal electronic and magnetic shark deterrents so people can identify those devices likely.
Shark deterrents and detection: Community perceptions, sentiment and preferences for shark management strategies - Charles Sturt University. This will investigate community perceptions of shark management, including acceptability of a range of lethal and non-lethal strategies. The project aims to gather evidence to inform shark management policy development and communication.