Two new shark listening stations have been installed in Sydney Harbour under a $120 million boost in spending to keep swimmers safe this summer.
Drone surveillance hours over beaches also extended from Tuesday even as nets and drumlines were deployed.
Tagged shark listening stations have been installed near Balmoral and at Lady Bay to provide real-time alerts when tagged animals are swimming near to it.
Alerts are sent via the NSW SharkSmart app when a tagged animal swims within 500 metres of a listening station; the new stations join 37 other stations along the NSW coast that are tracking 1698 Great White, 938 Tiger and 374 Bull sharks.
The government says the extra $34m spent to expand drone flights over beaches over winter (from July 1) resulted in 750 sightings with more than 200 interventions by Surf Life Saving NSW.
SHARK DRONE FLYING HOURS INCREASE
As of Tuesday, drone surveillance extended from 6:15am to 5pm with greater surveillance from September 26 for school holidays.
Government says a record 73 drones are operating across 97 beaches with a 1200% increase in hours (300,000).
As of Tuesday, 51 nets were deployed between Newcastle and Wollongong with 305 SMART drumlines deployed from Tweed Heads to Bega.
Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty makes no apologies for the use of nets even as they turn to technology.
“I acknowledge there are some mixed views on nets but we will use all tools available to enhance the safety of people swimming at our beaches; that includes nets,” she says.
“The aim of the new harbour listening stations is to improve our understanding of bull shark movements and provide real-time notifications …
“While the risk of interactions can never be eliminated entirely, everyone can take simple steps to reduce their risk, including checking local conditions and downloading the app,” the minister says.
