Gold Coast Tweed shark attacks: Smart drumlines deployed

A major new measure is being launched to ward off shark attacks in the wake of a number of fatal attacks in waters off the Gold Coast and Tweed.

FIFTEEN smart drumlines will be deployed off Tweed beaches ahead of the busy summer holiday season after a spate of fatal attacks on surfers in the last 18 months.

Trials of the drumlines, which will be deployed daily in locations from Hastings Point to the border, have been underway in New South Wales since December 2015.

Once caught in the drumlines, which are baited with sea mullet, sharks are tagged and released within 30 minutes approximately 1km offshore.

Tweed MP Geoff Provest said studies had shown the measure had a more than ninety per cent success rate in reducing shark attacks on surfers and swimmers.

“What we’ve seen is that after the sharks are released it’s months before they’re back again,” Mr Provest said.

“They can go long distances after being tagged – some have been recorded off New Zealand.

“And you don’t have the problem of killing other species like sea turtles as you do with nets.”

Mr Provest said the drumlines were part of a $21.4 million program by the NSW Government which has also seen more drones deployed to watch for sharks and a listening station at Kingscliff Beach.

He said the program made New South Wales a “world leader” in shark management.

The measures come in the wake of a number of fatal shark attacks in northern NSW and the Gold Coast in the last 18 months, including the fatal mauling of Gold Coast surfer Rob Pedretti, 60, in South Kingscliff in June last year and the death of Nick Slater, 46, who was killed at Greenmount Beach 14 months ago.

More recently, 31-year-old Timothy Thompson was fatally mauled by a great white while surfing at Shelly Beach near Coffs Harbour in September, while a 57-year-old man remains missing after a suspected shark attack in Western Australia at the weekend.

Mr Provest said swimmers and surfers should continue to exercise caution in the water despite the roll-out of the new measures in the Tweed area.

“As a surfer and a fisherman, I’d say you need to be sensible,” Mr Provest said.

“I’ve seen people out in the water near bait balls.”

Mr Provest said people should avoid going out at dusk and stay away from muddy water.

He also encouraged surfers and swimmers to make use of the NSW Government’s SharkSmart app, which alerts users to shark activity.

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