Shark repellent from dead shark odour

A NEW shark repellent using the smell of dead, rotting shark is being tested off the Cape coast as a means to protect bathers.

The innovative repellent will be in the form of a tablet which can be fastened around the ankle of a surfer or bather.

Former Wales-based father-and-son restaurateurs Collin and Simon Brooker believe their repellent could keep sharks far away from bathers. They sold everything they owned to fund their research into creating Podi, an active shark repellent, that reeks of dead shark but is not made of dead shark.

For Collin, it was important to create a synthetic means of repelling sharks without resorting to killing more wildlife. He was living in Brisbane, Australia, in 2014 when the Australian government sanctioned the culling of sharks after a spate of fatal attacks, mostly on surfers, and felt compelled to find a harmless means of defending humans when interacting with the wild species in their natural element.

According to Collin, most shark repellent protectors on the market, whether electronic, sonic or magnetic, work only in close proximity, when the shark is already in confrontation mode – which is often too late for evasive action to be taken.

After extensive research, he found sharks have a heightened sense of smell of up to 3km away and that although they are cannibalistic – in that they kill and consume fresh prey, they flee dead and rotting sharks.

With a sample of decomposing shark carcass in hand, Collin’s UK-based partner and science co-ordinator, Jane Fallows, hired Welsh scientists to analyse the sample. The scientists were able to identify six chemicals which contain the key to replicating the awful odour.

Trials were then conducted in Florida in the US, and once the repellent (in tablet form) hit the water, an encroaching shark veered away. Only the shark is repulsed by the stench.

With that in mind, the Brookers have thought of many more applications to clear the sea while humans are at play and once they head home at night, the wildlife can return to their hunting grounds.

“Because we are funding the research ourselves and scientists are very expensive, we are 12 to 18 months away from finding the correct combinations to create an effective tablet,” said Collin.

During their research, they interviewed residents of shark-nfested Reunion Island whose fishing industry and tourism have been completely wrecked by the over-proliferation of the Zambezi shark species.

But when they heard about sharks disrupting the South African leg of the world surfing championships, they came to KwaZulu-Natal where they interviewed members of the Sharks Board, which runs 14 vessels and crews to clear the shark nets every day.

Simon said they learnt that the shark nets not only led to the death of sharks, they also resulted in the death of other species.

The Brookers say that minimal impact and destruction to the environment and wildlife species is core to their long-term business sustainability plan.

KZN Sharks Board’s Mike Anderson-Reid said: “The idea (of rotten-smelling repellants) has been around for years,” although he had never heard of it being part of swimming or surfing gear.

For more information, see www.seadogsports.com