The New South Wales government in Australia is to step up shark surveillance and tagging efforts after a spate of attacks off the NSW north coast but has backed away from a cull.
The state government will spend $250,000 on a shark tagging project, a public education campaign and new lookout towers.
There will be an assessment of local conditions, such as the presence of bait fish that can attract sharks closer to shore, and a review of potential shark deterrents and barriers, to be completed next month.
The move comes amid growing concern among some people in the state’s north coast about shark activity. There have been 12 reported shark encounters since February, with local businesses complaining that tourists are staying away.
An Evans Head resident, Craig Ison, was knocked from his board and mauled by a great white during an early-morning surf on 31 July.
A few weeks earlier a bodyboarder, Matthew Lee, was attacked by a shark at Ballina's Lighthouse beach, suffering serious injuries to his lower legs.
In February a large great white shark tore the legs off 41-year-old surfer Tadashi Nakahara in a fatal attack at neighbouring Shelly beach.
Despite vociferous calls among some media outlets for a shark cull, the NSW government has not sanctioned this move, instead reminding people that sharks can be found in the ocean.
"I am acutely aware of the concerns of communities on the north coast following a spate of recent shark attacks – we want to make sure we do everything we can to help keep swimmers and surfers safe in our waters," said Niall Blair, minister for primary industries.
“Let’s not forget the ocean is the domain of the shark, however. This government is taking action to gain a better understanding of the local risks and how they can be reduced to help inform and protect the public.”
On Wednesday the Sydney Daily Telegraph columnist Laura Banks, calling for a cull, argued that humans had more rights in the water.
“The ocean is our domain and sharks have no place destroying lives and livelihoods,” she said.
Departmental officials will track sharks, study their behaviour and report back on their research early next year.
The mayor of Ballina shire, David Wright, said he was glad the government had listened to community concerns. "They have been fantastic and we are very grateful they are coming up on Monday because we can't do anything," Wright said.
“This is what we have been asking for; the experts are going to come up and assist and then make a decision on what to do. Maybe all the nagging we have done has paid off.”
Scientists who study sharks have pointed out there is no evidence that shark numbers are increasing around Australia’s coast and that while 2015 is on course to be a bad year for shark attacks, the chances of interacting with a shark while in the ocean is still incredibly small.
The conservation groups Sea Shepherd and No Shark Cull are investigating whether parts of Australia's coastline would be suitable for the Shark Spotters program. The program was started in South Africa in 2004 as a non-lethal, volunteer-led effort to warn people of the presence of sharks near ocean-goers.
A field officer from the scheme will visit Western Australia, NSW and Queensland to see if they are suitable.
(Guardian Service)