There is no need to cancel holidays to Australia’s shark hot spots because the risk of an attack is ‘virtually zero’, a senior marine studies lecturer says.
Dr Daniel Bucher, from Southern Cross University, says the rate of fatal shark attacks in Australia is one per year compared to 2000 deaths each year from skin cancer.
‘I don’t want to downplay it … because of course for that person, for their family and friends, the first responders to the scene and to the whole community, it can be a far-reaching impact,’ Dr Bucher said at an Australian Science Media Centre briefing on Wednesday.
But the general public’s perceived risk of a shark attack is often much greater than the real risk, he says.
‘I’ve heard people say they’re cancelling their holidays to the north coast of NSW because there are too many sharks,’ Dr Bucher said, citing south-western Western Australia as the other “hot spot” for shark activity.
‘If that’s your approach to life, don’t get in the car in the first place because that’s where the real risk is.’
The NSW government fast-tracked a six-month trial of shark nets in Ballina earlier this month, despite strong opposition from locals, after three attacks on surfers in the region across six weeks.
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce warned the frequency of attacks would deter tourists.
However, Dr Bucher said for families and small children playing in shallow water, the risk of attack from a large shark “is very, very low”.
‘If you’re talking about a three-metre white shark, that animal is about 1.5-metres-high through the middle, so in order to get through shallow water it’s going to have a very clean belly and a very sunburnt back.’
Patrols across summer combined with aerial surveys, drones and volunteer shark observation programs have made the beaches on the north coast of NSW “amongst the safest in the country”, Dr Bucher said.
He said the risk of an attack on surfers “is still very low, but somewhat higher” than swimmers and noted water users should avoid being out at dawn or dusk, or in dirty water and river plumes after a summer storm.
He also encouraged the use of preventative measures including high-contrast surfboards, camouflage wetsuits, magnetic wrist and ankle bands, and Shark Shields.
The deterrent device distorts the electroreceptors in a shark’s snout and turns them away.
‘It has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of shark attack,’ Dr Bucher said.
‘If you’re going on a surfing holiday, start dropping the hint to family and friends that a really good Christmas present would be a Shark Shield. If they don’t take the hint, go and buy it for yourself.’
WHAT IS A SHARK SHIELD?
* A personal shark protection device and electrical deterrent
* Emits a localised electromagnetic field causing a shark’s highly sensitive receptors in its snout (ampullae of Lorenzini) to spasm, turning the animal away
* Models available for surfing, scuba and professional diving, or free-diving and spearfishing ($599-$799)
* Independently tested in South Australian and South African waters
* Non-lethal device with no known long-term adverse effects to sharks
* Little to no impact on surfing performance
* Can be switched between boards or equipment and removed for recharging
(Source: Dr Daniel Bucher, marine ecologist at Southern Cross University; sharkshield.com)
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