WA GOVERNMENT FINDS SHARK DETERRENTS REDUCE SHARK DEPREDATION BY TWO THIRDS
Recreational, charter and commercial fishers in Western Australia (WA) are reporting significant increases in shark depredation (bite-offs), particularly in the Gascoyne and Pilbara regions.
Shark depredation is an issue across Northern Australia, with similar reports in Queensland and the Northern Territory. Managing shark depredation is complex, and WA is leading the country in research to better inform decisions in the management of this problem.
Recent research by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s (DPIRD) has found that:
- a range of shark species are responsible for bite-offs, including blacktip, dusky, milk, pigeye, sandbar and tiger sharks;
- the probability of sharks taking fish is reduced by 65 per cent when using deterrents such as the FISH01;
- sharks arrive within 15-30 minutes of fishing commencing, so moving spots helps decrease shark bite-offs;
- depredation rates are higher in areas where more people are fishing, for example, close to boat ramps.
Read the full paper here.