SHARKS — HAZARD
MITIGATION
894. Hon RICK MAZZA to the minister representing the
Minister for Fisheries:
I refer to the death of surfer Nick
Slater on Greenmount Beach on 8 September 2020, the sixth shark fatality in Australian waters this year. Now that Western Australians
are being forced to holiday in the state due to COVID-19 border
restrictions and the summer season is approaching, many people will be seeking
to enjoy our beach culture.
(1) Will the government review the SMART drum lines on
the south coast for the coming summer, particularly with likely
increases in local tourists?
(2) What other management programs
will be in place to help ensure the safety of beachgoers?
(3) What research is being conducted to assess the
relative abundance of shark numbers in the marine ecosystem?
Hon
ALANNAH MacTIERNAN replied:
I thank the member for the question.
I do note that I think most Western Australians are really enjoying the
opportunity to experience their state.
The following information has been
provided to me by the Minister for Fisheries.
(1) The SMART
drum line trial was reviewed by the Chief Scientist of Western Australia, Peter
Klinken, in April this year, with a recommendation to continue the trial in its
current format until May 2021. The McGowan government committed to continue the
trial, recognising that more data is needed to determine its effectiveness as a public safety tool for shark
mitigation. Shark warning systems that include both visual and audible
alarms will continue to alert the public to the presence of sharks, both tagged
and caught on the SMART drum lines within the waters of the SMART drum line
trial.
(2) Western Australia has one of the strongest
evidence-based shark mitigation programs in the world to assist locals
to enjoy the beach and ocean with confidence. The McGowan government is
committed to a range of measures and initiatives to improve the safety of our
ocean users. This investment includes the SMART drum line trial off Gracetown, the electronic shark deterrent rebate,
beach emergency number signage, beach enclosures,
an extensive targeted shark tagging program, the satellite-based shark
monitoring network and, of course, the SharkSmart WA app, which
integrates so much of this technology.
Since March 2017, the government has
successfully implemented a targeted tagging program of white sharks, doubling
the number of tagged sharks along the Western Australian coastline. Recently,
the McGowan government announced its commitment to deploy an additional two VR4
receivers and an alert tower in Bunker Bay following the latest shark incident
involving a local surfer. The government also works in partnership with Surf Life
Saving WA and other external stakeholders to deliver various shark mitigation
strategies, including aerial and beach safety surveillance to gather
intelligence information along the Western Australian
coast in the Perth metropolitan and south west regions for the benefit of
public safety when using the beach. The millions of dollars of
investment in these measures demonstrate the McGowan government's
commitment to improving ocean safety in Western Australia.
(3) To access
trends in the relative abundance of sharks, the department undertakes stock
assessments of more than 30 commercial species and annual abundance surveys in
the north west of eight species. These assessments and the information are used
to assess the sustainability risk on Western Australian sharks. The department
also undertakes surveys of shark diversity and relative abundance within
inshore and nearshore ecosystems—shallow reefs, creeks and rivers—in
the Kimberley marine ecosystem; baseline surveys of threatened, endangered and
protected sawfish and river sharks and the identification of critical habitats;
long-term monitoring of the relative abundance of sharks within the Walpole and
Nornalup Inlets Marine Park; and baseline surveys of shark diversity relative
abundance and tagging of coastal shark species at 30 to 300 metres depth in the
North-west Marine Parks Network.