The impact
Globally, the SharkSafe Barrier has the potential to reduce harmful impacts to marine biodiversity while supporting the interests of the broader marine tourism industry.
On Sharks:
CSIRO researchers estimate that the eastern Australia White Shark population has fewer than 1,000 adults left – and 81 died in New South Wales shark nets in the last 5 years.[1],[2] From September 2020 through April 2021, ~2 listed endangered species were killed each week. Replacing lethal shark control measures with the SharkSafe Barrier promotes marine conservation efforts, especially with regard to threatened shark species.
On Biodiversity:
Beyond sharks, replacing lethal shark control measures protects other marine megafauna commonly caught as bycatch (dolphins, whales, turtles, etc.). The SharkSafe Barrier is highly selective to large, predatory sharks, and other animals, such as seals and dolphins, can freely pass through without risk of entanglement. The risk of entanglement is so low, that in future, the management team plans to explore how to incorporate their design in fishing gear to minimize whale entrapments. There is also potential for the barriers to act as artificial reefs, increasing local biodiversity, biomass, and coral cover.
On Eco-Tourism
While shark attacks have a negative effect on local tourism, shark-centric marine tourism is lucrative for coastal economies. Shark watching generates over USD $314M and supports over 10,000 jobs each year. As the ecological and economic value of healthy shark populations are increasingly recognized, more areas targeting shark conservation (shark sanctuaries) are being established around the world, including almost 13 million km2 in the last 2 years. Declining shark populations directly threaten this industry, and thus the financial incentives of shark conservation. Eco-friendly beach protection measures can protect future ocean-based tourism from both shark-human conflict and improved shark-centric eco-tourism.
As Jacques Cousteau once said, “We only protect what we love, we only love what we understand, and we only understand what we are taught.” By reducing fear and incidence of trauma, SharkSafe Barriers opens the door for conversations and tangible efforts to promote marine education, eco-tourism, and shark conservation. The team is already discussing collaboration opportunities with non-profits, outreach groups, and aquariums to promote education and understanding around the importance of co-existing with sharks.
- https://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/majority-of-animals-caught-in-shark-nets-last-year-were-threatened-or-protected-species-20220727-p5b4yt.html
- https://www.csiro.au/en/research/animals/marine-life/sharks/can-white-shark-numbers-be-estimated
