Hans Lovejoy
The peak body that trains beach inspector lifeguards has told The Echo that the state government is ignoring best practice shark-mitigation strategies that are in line with an independent report and recommendations by a NSW Legislative Assembly committee.
Last October, the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) announced $16 million for shark mitigation over five years, which was touted at the time as being a world first.
And with last week’s mauling of 17-year-old Cooper Allen at Ballina’s Lighthouse Beach, one of those new strategies – an Aquarius Barrier at Lennox Head’s Seven Mile Beach – failed to withstand ocean conditions and will be removed.
The Australian Professional Ocean Lifeguard Association (APOLA) say their $50,000 grant application to establish Surveyor lifeguard towers was recently rejected. The proposal would have seen APOLA also contribute $50,000 to their trial.
APOLA’s Ken Holloway says his organisation ‘has given consistent advice to the NSW government regarding how to minimise the risk of shark bites at surf beaches in NSW over the last 20 years.’
‘This advice is that at locations where there is a spatial overlap of people recreating in the surf, and known aggregation of sharks and at historically patrolled locations, a system of having a qualified lifeguard in an elevated position trained to identify shark activity and shark- bite victims should be fundamental for any beach-patrolling system.
‘The lifeguard in the tower is supported by at least one other lifeguard who has available rapid-response rescue equipment such as rescue jet skis, all-terrain vehicles, communications and appropriate first aid equipment.
‘If we minimise the response time, we maximise the chance of survival.’
A DPI spokesperson replied to The Echo and said the shark management strategy, ‘is looking at new innovative technologies to better detect and deter sharks because we know there is not one solution.’
‘There were 40 expressions of interest for funding under the small grants scheme in what was a competitive process.
‘The priority for the 2016/17 round was for innovative research and development surrounding personal protection devices.
‘The expression of interest by APOLA was deemed better aligned to the Observation Tower Grants Scheme under the Shark Meshing Program (SMP) of which advice was provided.
‘NSWDPI’s Observation Tower Grant Program provides funding to organisations for observation towers on beaches or beach headlands for shark spotting.’
Meanwhile, mayor Simon Richardson said the shark spotting trial at Wategos Beach, ‘provides an opportunity for further refinement and partnership between the state government and the Byron Shire to extend the trial to other locations and roll out the program in time for summer’.
The study was led by Sea Shepherd’s National Shark Campaign co-ordinator Natalie Banks and funded by Byron Shire Council and Ballina MP, Tamara Smith.
The most cost effective and proven method of spotting sharks was undertaken by a self funded group back in 2009 / 2010 using a low altitude 300ft aerial surveillance platform know as an auto gyro. This two seat platform provides the best possible approach to spotting sharks. Furthermore it can be fitted with hi resolution imaging and thermal imaging cameras. Spotting from a beach tower is a total waste of time if the shark is hovering along the bottom in 20ft of water.
This approach was part of the submissions forwarded in the most recent round of funded but ignored and rejected.
Good story…however APOLA is not the peak body for Lifeguards in Australia. SLSA employs many.more.permanent.and.seasonal lifeguards than APOLA which is increasingly struggling to stay relevant. Towers…yes.on a clear day with good visibility but like the DPI apokesperson said a complex problem needs a complex strategy. Shark barriers in our surf zone was never going to work. Ocean rock baths was a strategy from the 1900s that is still around…Yamba Curl Curl Bondi.
Tagging, alert becons, towers, drones jet skis IRBs changing human behavior…DPI choppers ….lifeguards and lifesavers all have to be looked at to mitigate the hazard….
Great news! Put people in place. Use well designed log books and survey/monitoring notebooks so that information and experience can be collected and collated. We can learn from all the sightings. Once coastal people were very familiar with different sharks and their behaviours and their favourite places. Let’s rebuild that knowledge.