Smart new ways to stop spate of shark attacks

A SPATE of shark attacks at some of Australia’s most popular beaches has prompted the authorities to consider radical measures to try to deter the predators, including underwater electrical barriers powered by waves.

The barriers are among a series of hi-tech solutions being considered by the authorities as they seek to allay public fears ahead of the coming summer. Australia has the world’s highest rates of shark attacks, with 19 attacks recorded so far this year, up from 11 in the whole of 2014.

The state of New South Wales convened a shark summit in Sydney on Tuesday which gathered about 70 international experts to discuss trials of cutting-edge technologies such as shark-tracking phone apps and shields that can be attached to surfboards or swimmers’ ankles and create electric fields to repel the predators.

‘‘What we’ve seen is pretty unprecedented,’’ said Mike Baird, the state premier, who is himself an avid surfer.

‘‘We are seeing some of the toughest people on the planet up there on the far north coast, who take on some of the biggest and most treacherous waves without even blinking, in a position where they are now very fearful to go in the water.’’

He added that the mood on some parts of the coast had moved from ‘‘joy to fear’’ and said: ‘‘We need to take that away.’’

Experts at the

summit proposed constructing underwater barriers that could protect an entire beach by providing an electric field designed to repel sharks, which have highly sensitive receptors. Other proposals included shark-detecting buoys which can send a text message to lifeguards when predators are detected approaching the shore, and aerosol cans which contain the scent of dead sharks – a smell that is believed to repel some species.

Another option to be considered, which is already in use in Western Australia, is a flexible plastic wall that can be placed underwater near beaches to prevent sharks from approaching the shore. The walls have openings up to one foot wide but, unlike nets, allow smaller creatures to swim in and out without the risk of entanglement.

At least 13 attacks have occurred in New South Wales this year, compared with three in 2014.

Despite the recent series of attacks and sightings, the public have tended to oppose measures such as culls which can endanger sharks and other marine life. A poll by the University of Sydney this week found 80 per cent of residents around Ballina, a town in the north of New South Wales where there have been numerous attacks, oppose lethal responses such as culls or traps.

Australia has had 277 fatal shark attacks since 1900, compared with 161 in the United States, 104 in South Africa and 55 in Papua New Guinea.