CLIENT'S PROFILE

The New South Wales government contacted Marine Instruments in search of a technological solution that could send a real-time GPS alert via satellite and be received immediately by email or smartphone. This solution was to be part of their SMART drumlines system, a system that aimed to control the catch and release of alive sharks to avoid the attack of surfers and beachgoers.

THE CHALLENGE

• To adapt Marine Instruments satellite buoy to the smart drumline system so that the buoy will be activated and send an alert with its GPS position every time a shark was captured on the line.


• To be able to receive buoy positions by email or smartphone in less than a minute.

THE SOLUTION

Since 2015, the smart drumlines system has intercepted, tagged and relocated 370 dangerous sharks, including 300 White Sharks, 43 Tiger Sharks and 27 Bull Sharks. Once a shark is tagged and it is relocated approximately 1km offshore. DPI provides alerts to the community about the presence of these tagged sharks via the Shark Smart app and Twitter feeds.

Sharks that are tagged and relocated move away from the coast for an average of 74 days before they are again detected on a VR4G. Post-release, the distance of the shark from the tagged location to the location of the VR4G was an average of 165km.

SMART drumlines have proven to be effective in removing the immediate risk of shark attacks in many Australian coasts.

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