NSW beaches to get dawn-to-dusk drone patrols in $34m anti-shark program
Summary
New South Wales (NSW) will expand drone patrols for sharks at 70 beaches year-round, flying drones from dawn to dusk to spot sharks early and warn swimmers. The $34 million program aims to improve safety after recent shark attacks and will include trials of artificial intelligence to help detect sharks automatically.Key Facts
- The program covers 70 beaches, including all 38 Sydney ocean beaches and 32 others around NSW.
- Drones will operate daily from July 1 throughout the year, with increased flights in summer and weekends year-round.
- Surf Life Saving NSW will manage the drone patrols, having already conducted over 100,000 flights this year and prevented over 2,000 shark encounters.
- New AI shark detection technology will be tested to support automated drone flights.
- Shark culls are not planned for great white sharks, which are protected and travel large distances.
- Bull sharks, not protected, are under review with an audit of their numbers in Sydney Harbour.
- Experts highlight drones help monitor sharks but do not eliminate risk, and shark culls have no proven safety benefit.
- The goal is to warn people early about sharks to reduce harmful encounters without harming shark populations.
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