No regional shark studies

There have been no direct studies into the Capes region shark numbers for at least three years, the Fisheries Department has revealed.

Picture: WA Department of Fisheries

While it prepares a submission to the State Government on methods to protect ocean users from shark attacks, the department’s director general Stuart Smith said any research endorsed would be the first directly focused on the region.

Mr Smith told the Times the latest Federal Government study into shark numbers, which included the whole of WA, was carried out in 2008.

The Statewide study, he said, was “inconclusive” and there have been no further studies focusing on the Capes region.

However, Mr Smith said the department would suggest expanding a tagging program to the Capes region as part of the State Government submission.

If supported by the State Government, it would be among the only research focused solely on the region.

The program includes beacons, which monitored tagged sharks and their movements along the coastline.

Mr Smith said the program had been focused on Perth and was run in conjunction with fisheries in South Australia and South Africa and could be extended to include the tagging of “resident sharks” in the Capes region.

He said the research would indicate whether sharks were passing through the region’s waters or “hanging around” and posing a threat to ocean users.