After three fatal shark attacks, what mitigation measures work best?

Recent fatal shark attacks on spearfishers have intensified discussions about the most effective mitigation strategies, particularly in Western Australia. Three men have died in separate incidents over the past two months, two off the WA coast and one in far north Queensland, prompting calls for renewed consideration of measures like selective culls and drumlines.

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I'm very passionate about the situation we're in with the great white sharks. I've lost five of my good friends to fatals, and there's been a big impact in my industry in regard to how we go about dealing with sharks and mitigating the risk.

Marc Payne, an abalone fisherman from Esperance, shared his deep concern over the increasing threat from great white sharks, having lost five friends to fatal attacks. He participated in WA's SMART drumline trial from 2019 to 2021, which was later axed after catching only two sharks in two years. Payne believes the trial's failure was due to its model and flexibility, arguing that SMART drumlines have proven successful in other states and should be reconsidered for WA.

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If you look at the New South Wales Smart drumline program, they've got around 1,000 great whites, so those sharks have been tracked. I believe the smart drumline trial in Western Australia, if it had the flexibility and the model was set out in the right way, I believe it would be very successful.

Bond University associate professor Daryl McPhee supports Payne's view, emphasizing that SMART drumlines are a significant part of shark mitigation in Queensland and New South Wales. He noted that the technology and understanding of these devices have improved significantly since WA's trial. A NSW government spokesperson confirmed that over 300 SMART drumlines have been deployed in their state, leading to the tagging of approximately 2,800 sharks.

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I definitely think SMART drumlines are something that the WA government should reconsider, given there have been two fatalities in WA in the last month. They have been trialled in Western Australia, but the technology and understanding of them has improved significantly.

Despite these arguments, WA Premier Roger Cook has ruled out reintroducing drumlines. He instead champions the state's current 'Shark Smart WA' app and its ongoing shark tagging and tracing program, asserting that WA's mitigation strategies are nation-leading. The debate highlights the ongoing tension between public safety concerns and the effectiveness and implementation of different shark deterrent methods.

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Our shark mitigation strategies are nation-leading and in terms of the work we're doing through our Shark Smart WA app, continuing to tag sharks so that we've got sight in terms of where they're occur