A cutting-edge technology company wants to use Mandurah as a trial site for a shark mitigation tactic using drones, unmanned planes and multi-spectral cameras – but needs State Government backing to make it a reality.
Shark Alert International (SAI), partners of Advance Coherent Technology – who provide technology to the US Navy, feel they have the solution to WA’s much-debated shark issue.
SAI has already conducted trials in Hawaii using cutting-edge cameras to detect and track sharks in deep water.
Managing director Chris Gurtler said their cameras scan a grid 780m wide and 30ft deep, taking seven photos per second as the drone or plane covers an area of water.
Once a shark is detected, it can be monitored and real-time information on the animal’s location transmitted to mobile phone apps such as Dorsal, or provide alerts to smartwatches worn by surfers or beach-goers.
Mr Gurtler said SAI wants to set up their global headquarters in Mandurah but would only do so if the State Government agreed to use their technology in a shark-mitigation trial.
“You don’t necessarily see a shark when you are flying over it in a helicopter, but our technology uses multi-spectral photography and will pick it up and track it,” he said.
“When a helicopter flies over, you are using human eyes that can’t see beneath the water. Our solution will see a shark 88 per cent of the time in each shot, but as it passes it will see it 100 per cent of the time.
“We are looking for the Government to give us a contract to monitor beaches – potentially leasing kits to the Government to put at the beaches where they think there is a need for it.
“We would be exporting our technology all over the world from Mandurah if we set up here. Other countries need what we have got – no-one has developed anything like this, just us.”
Halls Head resident Dave Schumacher, who is also a City of Mandurah councillor, said he had been blown away by SAI’s technology and bringing the company to town was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“This is the biggest thing to ever come Mandurah’s way – it would be astronomical for tourism, employment and the local economy,” he said.
“This is the ideal place for trials – we have got 51km of coastline and about 15km is popular surf breaks – we have got all the different coastal scenarios in close proximity.”
The State Government’s shark mitigation policies have come under scrutiny in recent years, with a debate raging over the potential installation of drumlines, which are used in the Eastern States.
This conversation reached fever pitch when Mandurah surfer Ben Gerring was killed by a shark at Falcon Beach in June 2016 and Singleton teen Laeticia Brouwer met the same fate in November 2017 near Esperance.
The State Government has subsidised the cost of personal shark deterrents developed by Perth company Shark Shield – however the refusal to explore the use of drumlines has been met by criticism from Mandurah’s surfing community.
Fisheries Minister Dave Kelly confirmed the Government would meet with SAI next month.
“The Government sees the potential for drones as a shark mitigation tool and has provided funding for Surf Life Saving to use drones to assist with their patrols at several beaches along our coast,” he said.
“We hope to see this expand to more WA beaches in the future as the technology further develops. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development will meet with the company to discuss their proposal for a Mandurah trial of their product and following that meeting provide me with advice.
“The benefit of accredited personal shark deterrents is they provide a level of protection no matter where the person is, including at remote beaches and dive locations in WA. In comparison, it wouldn’t be possible to have drones at every beach in WA given we have about 12,000km of coastline.
“The McGowan Government has invested in a comprehensive shark mitigation strategy based on technology and science for the WA coast to help protect beach users.
“This strategy includes a world-first personal shark deterrent subsidy, funding Surf Life Saving WA beach helicopter and drone patrols, expanding the Shark Monitoring Network to Esperance, tagging operations, funding Beach Emergency Number signs and provided funding for a swimming enclosure at Falcon.”
Have an opinion on this issue? E-mail gareth.mcknight@fairfaxmedia.com.au.
Gareth McKnight
Gareth McKnight is Mandurah Mail's editor.
Gareth McKnight is Mandurah Mail's editor.
