We have received $1.7m in funding from 2011-12 to 2015-16 for four major shark research projects:- A study into correlations between shark interactions/sightings and factors such as water temperature, fish and seal abundance, whale movements, weather conditions, seasonal fluctuations and the time of day;
- A two-year extension of the existing white shark monitoring program being undertaken jointly by Fisheries with authorities in South Australia and South Africa;
- A study into the impact on shark numbers following changes in fisheries management; and
- A desktop study on the effectiveness of beach netting as a shark hazard mitigation strategy.
We have also commissioned the Patrol Vessel (PV) Hamelin to the Shark Response Unit to improve its capability to manage shark hazards and carry out important shark research and tagging activities along the Western Australian coast.
The PV Hamelin has been used in the deployment of 120 additional acoustic receivers to create a larger monitoring network to research tagged sharks.