SHARK patrols in the South West will take place daily throughout the school holidays with the Busselton based Surf Life Saving WA’s Westpac Lifesaver Rescue helicopter.
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Over the 2015/16 period, the helicopter conducted 396 aerial patrol hours with 390 shark sightings and 121 direct warnings.
With an expected increase in tourists to the region, SLSWA lifesaving services manager Peter Scott said the presence of the helicopter in the sky gave beach goers an added degree of comfort, with the high level of shark activity in the South West.
Mr Scott said beach goers should continue to take necessary precautions by swimming at patrolled beaches or checking the SLSWA Twitter feed for safety warnings or beach closures.
Following the September school holidays the South West service will revert to weekend patrols, before recommencing daily patrols in November.
Busselton surfer Alexis Zahner said having an extra set of eyes in the sky made her feel more at ease when she was in the water.
“When you see the helicopter fly over, do a few laps around the break and fly off I feel I can surf without having to think about what might be in the ocean with me,” she said.
“In saying that, all surfers know that sharks are present often, it is their habitat and it is a calculated risk to surf.”
Department of Fisheries executive director Bruno Mezzatesta said since 2008 the state government had invested over $30 million on shark hazard mitigation measures.
Mr Mezzatesta said initiatives included aerial patrols, research into shark population estimates and shark behaviour, acoustic tagging, jet skis, watchtowers, non-lethal detection and deterrent technologies, beach enclosures and a public education campaign.
“As part of our notification system, all tagged shark detection, and reported sightings, in real-time are sent by text to beach managers such as lifeguards or rangers, so they can close beaches, or erect warning signs if needed,” he said.
“They are also mapped on the SharkSmart website, shark activity map, so the public can visually check for recent shark activity close to their location and make an informed decision on beach use.
“Tweets are posted from Surf Life Saving WA’s twitter feed notifying their 45,000 followers of a potential shark hazard.”
Mr Mezzatesta said the information was automatically sent simultaneously by their systems in the three ways, and posts in under a minute, so the information to the public was clear, concise and consistent,
“And people have the latest information at their fingertips when deciding to use the beach,” he said.
The Department of Fisheries recently tagged four sharks, three white sharks and one bronze whaler, which took the total number tagged to more than 860.
Tagging occurs on an opportunistic basis around natural events in areas where sharks may be attracted.
