Close to three times more sharks being released alive under smart drumline trial off Queensland coast

Close to three-quarters of sharks caught using new smart drumlines being trialled off the Queensland coast have been released alive, new figures show, making them three times more humane than traditional drumlines. See how they work.

A significant majority of sharks that have been caught on new smart drumlines being trialled in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park are being released alive.

Since the technology was rolled out in September, there have been 39 sharks caught on the smart drumlines, with 28 – or about 71 per cent – of the animals released.

Over the same period, 77 sharks were caught on traditional drumlines, but only 19 – or 24 per cent – of them were released back into the water.

The smart drumlines have been deployed at Mulambin beach, Tanby Point, Fisherman beach, and Emu Park beach – all located in the Capricorn Coast near Yeppoon.

In total, there are 11 smart drumlines being trialled at the four beaches, which are being alternated with 11 traditional drumlines.

Some 28 of the 39 sharks caught on the smart drumlines since the trial began in September have been released alive.

The smart drumlines – which are also known as catch alert drumlines – are equipped with satellite technology that sends off an alert when a shark is caught, ensuring the animal is attended to as soon as possible.

Of the sharks that were caught on the smart drumlines between September 9 and January 31, four were tiger sharks, with all of them released, while nine of the 12 bull sharks caught were also released.

Meanwhile, of the sharks captured on the traditional drumlines, there were nine tiger sharks, with eight of them released, as well as 22 bull sharks with only two released alive.

The trial of the smart drumlines is expected to continue until at least June 2022, with the technology to potentially be trialled in other locations of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park depending on the initial results.

A Queensland Fisheries spokesman said “non-target sharks” were released alive at the site they were captured.

But “target sharks”, which included tiger and bull sharks, were tagged and released further offshore, and away from the beach in a bid to reduce the immediate risk to swimmers.

“All sharks caught in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park must be released alive where possible and safe to do so under a permit that allows the SCP (shark control program) to operate,” the spokesman said.

“The Queensland Government has committed to research, trialling new shark mitigation technologies and boosting community education about SharkSmart behaviours, as set out in the Queensland Shark Management Plan 2021-2025.”

The spokesman said while the shark control program equipment “lowers risk”, it did not provide an impenetrable barrier between sharks and humans.

“And it is recommended that people follow SharkSmart advice, including swimming at patrolled beaches, and at beaches that have shark control equipment in place,” he said.