Shark defence: 100 drum lines to guard NSW coastline

EXCLUSIVE: Sharks swimming near beaches would be lured on to hooks before dragged out to sea with 100 “smart” drum lines to be rolled out along the entire stretch of the NSW coastline.

Diagram: The Catch-A-Live System, Smart Drum Line.

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FEARS of increased shark attacks have forced the state government into action, with 100 “smart” drum lines to be fast-tracked along the entire stretch of the NSW coastline.

Premier Mike Baird has also buckled to community pressure and softened his opposition to shark nets.

The government has been trialling smart drum lines on the north coast for the past 11 months, with Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair wanting their numbers dramatically increased and deployed along the coastline before summer.

“Our testing shows smart drum lines are highly effective in catching sharks so they can be tagged and relocated,” Mr Blair said.

Surfer Cooper Allen was attacked by a shark at Lighthouse Beach near Ballina.

Since the trial, 31 great white sharks and five bull sharks had been hooked, tagged and relocated.

The rollout of the drum lines is in addition to the $16 million package of measures revealed earlier this year to protect beachgoers.

The drum lines announcement today is an unprecedented ­response to this week’s shark ­attack on teen surfer Cooper Allen.

The Baird government will seek permission from the Commonwealth to deploy the controversial shark management system.

A shark is sighted off Brunswick during a helicopter flight along the beaches from the Gold Coast to Ballina. Picture: Adam Head

The government has also ­softened its opposition to shark nets in response to changing community sentiment with authorities to request advice from the federal government on whether the age-old method should also be reconsidered.

The move comes as a spooked Baird government moves to avoid further attacks in the wake of growing criticism from locals on the lack of action, together with changing sentiment from the North Coast community.

The decision to deploy drum lines follows an emergency meeting in Ballina this week between Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair and locals following Monday’s shark attack off Lighthouse Beach.

Year 12 student Cooper was surfing with friends when he was knocked off his board and bitten on the leg by a great white shark about 9am.

For the past 11 months, the government has been trialling 15 “smart” drum lines with hooks deployed in waters around Coffs Harbour, Ballina, Hawks Nest, Harrington Lagoon and the Richmond and Hastings River as part of a scientific trial.

Yesterday, eight of the drum lines were redeployed in Ballina.

Surfers at play off Byron Bay. Picture: Adam Head

While both smart and standard drum lines rely on a baited hook to snag sharks, the “smart” version allows for the animal to be released by alerting authorities that it has been caught.

In contrast to the standard drum lines that are designed to kill the animal, the alert system of the smart drum lines allow authorities to tag, remove and relocate the shark.

The government has been restricted to trialling the drum lines, with deployment on a permanent scale falling under the Commonwealth. To avoid the costs associated with a scientific “trial”, the government wants special permission from the Commonwealth to deploy the drum lines ahead of the shark season.

DPI test smart shark drum lines in the Bellinger River near Coffs Harbour. Picture: Nathan Edwards

Mr Blair said the results of the trial to date showed the lines were an effective defence mechanism, with 31 great whites and five bull sharks having been tagged and relocated since they were deployed.

“We will increase the number deployed off NSW from 15 to 100,” he said.

It is understood the Commonwealth will be formally asked permission this week, with authorities already understood to have been ordering drum lines to be able to rollout immediately once approval is given.

Premier Mike Baird said the drum lines complemented the existing $16 million package of measures designed to protect lives.

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