Shark SMS warnings probed
by:Stiven Pucar
From:The Sunday Times November 05, 2011 5:00PM 9 comments
FISHERIES bosses and the State Government are considering a shark hotline to text warnings about attacks or sightings after a plea from beach-goers.
Fisheries Department chief executive Stuart Smith said his officers were looking into a text alert system, similar to one used by the Fire and Emergency Services Authority to warn people living in at-risk bushfire areas of threatening fires.
Surf Life Saving WA uses Twitter to alert people of shark sittings and attacks, and Mr Smith said his officers would also investigate using social media to warn beach-goers.
It comes after three fatal shark attacks off WA in two months.
South-West residents voiced their concerns at a public forum in Busselton last week, where they called on fisheries to establish the shark alert text message service.
"We are interested in developing a system that works best for our purposes," Mr Smith said.
"We will evaluate the effectiveness of the current alerts in place and use something similar or build an entirely new system."
Fisheries Minister Norman Moore this week told
The Sunday Times the State Government would undertake a full review of all shark mitigation measures and tools, and would explore the text alert proposal.
"Such an option would usually only prove useful to alert people of sightings when they were out of the water," he said.
"However, if the research advice indicates it could be a viable and cost effective shark mitigation tool, the State Government will consider it among any other options identified by the review."
SLSWA services coordinator Craig Bowley said command centre staff, who were in constant communication with helicopter patrols, lifeguards and other clubs, managed the social media use.
"The use of Twitter has been a great communication tool and very effective," he said.
"We used it last Monday when two great whites were spotted of Rottnest. Twitter is updated every hour and even more frequently if there is an incidence."
Professor Shaun Collin, from the University of WA's Oceans Institute, supported the text messaging alert system concept because it would benefit both the public and researchers.
"I think anything that disseminates information about shark sightings, aggregations and/or movement to the public would be a step in the right direction," he said.
"A co-ordinated network of communication could also be very useful to fisheries scientists and researchers."
Prof Collin said the public should also be educated about sharks to help them understand their role in the ecosystem.
"However, since there is so little known about sharks, their movement patterns and the influences of environmental cues on their behaviour, the Government could consider funding more focused research," he said.
hil Hickey
