Shark clusters and current research
Kent Stannard investigates the recent cluster of shark activity in northern NSW and also details the research currently being undertaken.
Do I call 2015 the year of the shark? It sure seems that way. In the media are shark experts, shark scientists, shark sightings, shark interactions, shark attacks, shark cull/no shark cull, shark forums, and that's before we even broach the topic of shark business...
...'cause then there're shark apps, shark deterrents, shark shields, shark barriers, shark bangles, shark repellents, and then of course there's the salesman selling his snake, or should I say, shark oil.
Sharks seem to be everywhere, above, below, and on top of the water thanks largely to novel gadgetry following their every move. So perhaps rather than wondering if there's anywhere safe for humans to avoid sharks, we need to be asking if there's anywhere safe for sharks to avoid us?
To be honest, my head is spinning, not about the prospect of coming face to face with a shark in the wild, but the terrestrial whirlwind that's become shark mania.
Through it all the question on everyones lips is this: Are we seeing a population explosion in sharks? Specifically the white shark, the serial offender responsible for most attacks along our coastline?
The answer to that is no. In fact, quite the opposite according to CSIRO's research along our eastern seaboard. Recent research suggest there's between 750 - 1200 adults. Or to break it down further, 300 - 600 possible breeding females.
Although this is only a preliminary estimate and doesn't include the juvenile population, those in the know agree this number is fewer than to be expected, and by a long way. Taking into consideration their slow rate to reach sexual maturity and the small number of pups they produce, this initial estimate should be cause for concern. It should be remembered, sharks are no different to terrestrial apex predators; adults give birth to fewer pups, and as they mature their migratory range increases therefore surviving to adulthood becomes problematic. They face environmental challenges on top of natural attrition and human intervention.
Despite the modest population count, Northern NSW is currently experiencing what we consider an aggregation or cluster of shark activity. Sharks appear to have taken up residence along the inner shore beaches stretching from Byron Bay down to Evans Head.
While it may seem a new and unwelcome experience to many on the eastern seaboard, the fact is we've seen these clusters elsewhere. Western Australia is coming off the back of three to four years of heightened shark activity, and prior to that South Australia in the early 2000s had a similar cluster of sightings, attacks, and incidents. Three geographically disparate regions of coastal Australia, three temporary clusters.
Therein lies the point: sharks are highly migratory animals. They're only ever temporary residents to an area and they move in response to environmental cues. Being at spot X today doesn't suggest they'll become a permanent fixture, it simply means the local conditions at that point in time favour them to be there.
The generational fishermen from south west WA and northern NSW all point to changes in the environment and the likelihood of depleted fish stocks. If we focus on northern NSW for a minute and include other variables, ocean temperatures have been higher than average this winter along the coast, bait fish in plentiful supply, and there's been an abundance of larger species including whales and dolphins, and following them the apex predators…sharks.
Add to the mix an EAC hugging tighter to the land, plus El Nino conditions drawing warmer water closer to the coast, and the result is being an environmental smorgasbord for pelagic predators. In these terms, some would say the eastern seaboard has become the reflection of her western sister which experienced similar environmental conditions.
That said, it appears WA is returning to some sort of seasonal normality, finally shaking loose the shackles of consecutive searing summers. Western Australia could well be in for a reprieve.
So is this the new normal on the east coast? Or are we simply seeing wildlife responding to changes in their environment?
Going on historical records and observations everything suggests the latter.
Seasonal migration of sharks has been known for years - ask any old salty – however it's only in the past ten years we've begun to systematically study their movements.
Shark research is expensive business. Dealing with nomadic, transient animals and applying innovative technology doesn't come cheap, but it's necessary to gain a greater understanding of how, when, where, and why these creature move and the implications to us ocean users.
To try and put a positive slant on the situation in northern NSW and not diminish the tragic incidents that have occurred, the aggregation of sharks in those areas is allowing scientists a unique opportunity to study and ultimately report on their movement patterns and behaviour. However, there's no quick fix solution. Tagging and monitoring is only one component of the research - it's a scientific vehicle not the golden bullet to protect beach goers. What tagging and monitoring will eventually identify is the movement and arrival times of sharks, their residency periods, and the 'highways' of travel they use.
But that's in the (hopefully near) future, right now we know we have a healthy juvenile white shark population moving up and down the eastern seaboard, yet it's highly unlikely that their numbers are significantly increasing. Nature has its good seasons and its bad seasons. I'll leave it up to ocean users to decide which one we're in.
Recent observations from around Australia:
A significant finding has been the size of animals implicated in attacks on humans. Almost all have been white sharks. In WA waters the main offenders have been adult animals (those more than 3 metres) while along the east coast they've been juvenile sharks (those less than 3 metres).
For some apparent reason, the 1-5 year old juveniles in the nursery areas surrounding Port Stephens and eastern Bass Strait seem less aggressive than those in migrating mode who are that bit older. There has never been an attack off the nursery beaches despite the numbers of sharks that frequent them. Is it an age and maturity thing? Or the security in knowing food is at hand and in plentiful supply? Do they behave differently in areas of fast moving tides? These are questions still to be answered.
Sharks in the 2 metre plus range appear to be more opportunistic when moving from site to site and they're the ones implicated in most east coast attacks on humans.
Speaking with a local pilot on the NSW south coast recently he observed juvenile white sharks patrolling the shallows and surf zone like testosterone fuelled teenagers: darting in an out of salmon schools and almost beaching themselves, while out wide on the drop offs and reefs, larger adults are tracking more substantial prey. He believes he's seeing the same animals migrating up and down the NSW coast on a seasonal basis, all with different predatory agendas, and his advice to surfers is avoid the outer bank. //KENT STANNARD
Comments
When you say "There has never been an attack off the nursery beaches despite the numbers of sharks that frequent them."
Wouldn't the two attacks at Jimmy's beach Hawk's Nest qualify as part of the "nursery beaches"?
Yep, this article is full of holes.
Thanks Gull…The Hawksnest to little Gibber and the Stockton beach are whats considered the nursery areas…This is where the greatest majority of resident shark activity takes place..Jimmys gets its share of action,but not nearly the same volume of traffic as the outside beaches ..cheers..Kent
Thanks Gull…The outside beach at Hawksnest through to little Gibber and south along Stockton are considered the nursery areas based on the downloads from acoustic receivers and tagged sharks…Jimmys gets its share of traffic but not to the same extent..cheers..Kent
When you say Eastern bass straight where are we talking?…East of the prom….im assuming Phillip Island and Kilcunda/Bass coast doesn't fall in that area as there has been attacks both at Kilcunda and Phillip Island.
Gippsland Coast Indo, off Lakes Entrance and 90 Mile.
Yes Indo….Youre probably aware most the tagging work has been off the eastern prom through to Lakes Entrance…
We consider this the pupping ground…So mum,dad and the kids all hanging out here..
Im aware of the attack at Kilcunda back in the 80s or 90s wasn't it…Large shark,lucky bloke…
Still,we consider this part of the highway from Seal Rocks/Westernport through to the Prom..
I was of the understanding that a number of the east coast attacks were by sharks larger than 3 metres.
In any case, his advice to surfers is not greatly reassuring, and contrary to his own conclusions if its mainly juveniles!
Sharkoil --- Fiji dive BlogSpot - Sharkbanz
or
ICBS Everywhere > Sharkbanz.
advice to surfers is: 'Avoid the outer bank'...... yikes!
eat more fish and chips...
MMMhh Flake!!
Stu , can you get Kent to comment on the number of dead whales being buried on beaches in NSW?
every shark expert I have spoken to says that dead whales will attract sharks!
Kent has been pretty busy the last few days - actually the last few months - but I'll try and get him to answer the question.
Thanks Sharkman…Its been an interesting year…The feedback we're getting from pilots and commercial fishers up and down the NSW coast its never been busier for whale traffic..As for the no of whales being buried,I cant help you Im afraid…However the the advice you're given is correct,body parts decompose for up to a month and do act as a shark magnet…We had one down here in Vic a few years back that leeched oil into the ocean for a good month and sure enough a very large white appeared in the lineup…Mick Pierce can confirm that,he was on a standup viewing it…Only time he's ever fallen off...
OK Sharkman to whiteshark , really wondering if you could ask some of your sharkperts on all the whales being buried on the beaches on the NSW coast , check out Tootr's links.
On another post we discussed how long it takes for a whales to decompose and it looks like it takes 4-5 years naturally , or 2 years if scientists go after the skeleton and decompose the whale in containers full of manure....
it seems logical with all the info you posted , throw in a whales scent all up the NSW coast , we are actually attracting them to the beaches.....
Do you guys know if any records have been kept regarding buried whales on NSW beaches?
We'll written Kent where have you been hiding as I haven't seen you around? You forgot to give a plug for your clothing, WHITE TAG everyone. Good gear.
NSW does have some whale cemeterys .
This one in a so -called nursery seemed a little aggressive.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/lisa-mondy-tells-of-her-great-white-ter...
u play with fire u get burnt, u swim in the other occasionally 1/100,000,000 people get bitten... no biggy continue on
Here is five minutes googling wrt buried whales.
Whale buried Newcastle June 2010;
http://www.theherald.com.au/story/456026/dead-sperm-whale-buried-on-bar-...
Whale buried partially? Newport, Aug 2012;
http://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/whale-carcass-washes-up-on-sydne...
Whale buried at Saltwater/Wallabi Sep 2014;
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/whale-watch/beached-whales-point-to-po...
Whale buried Broulee Jan 2015;
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/sharks-lurk-close-to-swimmers-o...
Whale buried at 7 mile Feb 2015;
http://www.northernstar.com.au/news/rare-whale-found-dead-on-beach/25457...
Whale buried Coffs July 2015;
http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/news/whale-causes-a-stink-for-park-...
Whale bits left Angas Aug 2015;
http://www.dailyexaminer.com.au/news/dead-whale-on-the-nose/2750840/
Australian Museum on whales - digging up skeletons one to two years later;
http://australianmuseum.net.au/mammology-collection-whale-graveyard
Ill follow this up tootr
Shark cluster........wow....but their not breeding up ....they think....in other words they dont know.
Bit of info
HI EVERYONE AND THANKS FROM THE SHARK REPORTS TEAM........
I would like to clear up some things regarding the current tagging of white sharks in Northern NSW.
Contrary to some comments that have been made on this page the current tagging process by DPI NSW does not involve the use of drum lines or burley! They use rope, wire trace and bait ONLY. In the last few weeks they have tagged a total of 8 white sharks and have been fantastic in informing you all through Shark Reports of many more. The DPI have experts on board the helicopters who know what species of shark they are identifying. The tagging will be on going. If any one has any more questions I will be happy to pass them on. I hope this clears up any misconceptions.
and this
Thank you for contacting CSIRO Enquiries.
CSIRO currently has about 300 electronically tagged sharks, however there are currently no active satellite tags transmitting positions.
Satellite tags provide the best opportunity for tracking a shark in near real-time. Unfortunately, the acoustic tags used in our research do not have a large detection envelope (in the order of 500-1000 metres); therefore, they would be unsuitable for this particular task.
Tagged 8 sharks probably the little ones add the big ones that were seen and you have a shit load of rare sharks in a small area,how lucky is that.
cough......hope everyone is feelin safe now
In Feb. this year, surfer Tadashi Nakahara was killed by a shark attack at Ballina. The day before, Jabez Reitman was bitten pretty badly by a shark at 7 Mile beach... between Broken Head and Lennox. Around the same time a dead whale washed up near 7 Mile and was later buried in the sand. Is this causing sharks to still hang around? They are still being spotted around Byron/ Suffolk/Broken every few days.
Well here's a turnout. A dead whale can involve a bunch of different so-called authorities. AKA red tape. The story does not mention the burley aspect.
http://theconversation.com/dead-whales-are-expensive-whose-job-is-it-to-...
Great article, Kent. It seems difficult for some surfers to understand that we don't actually rule over the oceans like King Neptune and maybe sometimes we have to pause before heading into the sea.
However, I was wondering if there might be a future for electronic buoys that repell, or make uncomfortable, white sharks therefore discouraging them from populated beaches? So, a more humane approach to keeping the two sea-going creatures apart. Is this a viable idea or just pie in the sky?
…Just saw this today Bunker…Not exactly what you are asking but definitely interesting..
At start of article it says limited fish stocks then goes onto say heaps of baitfish, whales and dolphins..contradictory?
Why not just cull a few? We need to get over being so politically correct and just knock a few out.
I'm still trying to work out how the experts have, nor ever seemingly ever have, any sort of idea on GWS numbers, yet they are endangered, protected, etc.
How are pointer population figures compiled ?
If from cape York to wilsons prom is approx. 3100km and there are approx. 750-1200 adults then juveniles that can be 1 shark every 4k's....and that's just the eastern seaboard..what numbers qualify endangered?
There is no science to these arguments. The above article, clearly biased towards shark conservation, is loosely based upon on observations and opinions. Where are the facts? Where is the historical data for comparison?
Here is a direct observation of a treatment effect: how many deaths since WA introduced shark culling? That's right, none.
'We're in the sharks territory... surfers know the risk'. Again a BS argument. What is the equivalent response when campers are attacked by dingos or eaten by bears? They hunt them. Since when did a human life, albeit a surfer's life, become so devalued?
I really feel for all the victims, those deceased or disabled, along with their families. We have failed in our response.
WA shark culling hasn't caught one white pointer on its drum lines
Exactly what I was going to say about the drum lines, they did fucking nothing. Such an expensive knee-jerk reaction to a problem that needed thorough research to determine a viable solution. In my opinion, nothing should be done. I split my head open (down to the skull, lost alot of blood), got taken to the docs, got stitched up then while riding back to the clubhouse with the lifeguard there was a 4m white spotted about 500m from where I was injured.... They're still around and always will be, apart from migration I have a feeling they are just more discreet now in WA. I'm all for sharks being left alone to do what they do
I reckon if you were a shark and you witnessed old mate Tiger shark hooked on a drum line a few times it might scare you and your pals all the way to Northen NSW.
Yes, if I was a shark that's exactly what I would think as I saw 'old mate tiger shark' on a drum line...
"Although this is only a preliminary estimate and doesn't include the juvenile population, those in the know agree this number is fewer than to be expected, and by a long way. Taking into consideration their slow rate to reach sexual maturity and the small number of pups they produce, this initial estimate should be cause for concern."
Some of you blokes have difficulties reading or a bad case of confirmation bias. Here's a guy with more experience and contact with this creature then the rest of us put together yet you still argue your ill informed short sighted tripe. Someone dedicating their life to this research. Working with scientists and experts...
Open your eyes and realise that you don't know half as much as you think you do then maybe we will be able to make some progress. Waiting for someone to call kent shark hugger and the thread will be complete.
Note the use of the words "those in the know" i.e none of us unless someone here other then kent is working closely with the csiro that we're unaware of.
So "shark argument is BS" as you know Western Australia had 7 deaths from sharks attacks between 2010 and 2013 and many other attacks and sightings. So, they decided to have a 3 month trial period where they would cull sharks before the summer of 2014.
They decided to abandon the cull for many reasons but one partiular reason is that,
"Not one great white shark was caught during the entire program, which undermines the entire basis of this trial".
What's the point of culling sharks if the species that is causing the problem isn't even being caught, culling in this instance was completely pointless, so you argument is also pointless. Mass culling of great whites Is not the answer, you say in your words "there is no science in these arguments". Well let me ask you something where is your scientific evidence that shark culling actually works?, because you won't find any.
I also don't understand what you are saying when you say " how many deaths since WA introduced shark culling " it went for 3 months and they stopped it.
And also on a final note "shark argument is BS", kens argument of " we're in there territory... Surfers know the risk" it is not a bullshit agreement , everyone knows the risks involved when entering the water but you know it is a very slim chance of happening so you still go in the water. If you don't like the fact that there is the slightest chance you could get bitten then don't enter the water but everyone knows the risks so it's not a bullshit argument
5-10 fatalities per year in Australia alone, over 100 serious injuries and more than 450 minor. Taxpayer funded research that has been going on for decades totalling millions of dollars is not saving these people and they’re not all surfers by any means.
Something needs to be done, the Government needs to step up and protect these people.
I suggest brave men in extra thick double-pluggers are deployed when and wherever storm clouds appear and armed with kites with copper string they should catch and kill the lightning before it can harm any one else.
Through it all the question on everyones lips is this: Are we seeing a population explosion in sharks? Specifically the white shark, the serial offender responsible for most attacks along our coastline?
The answer to that is no. In fact, quite the opposite according to CSIRO's research along our eastern seaboard. Recent research suggest there's between 750 - 1200 adults. Or to break it down further, 300 - 600 possible breeding females.
Although this is only a preliminary estimate and doesn't include the juvenile population, those in the know agree this number is fewer than to be expected, and by a long way. Taking into consideration their slow rate to reach sexual maturity and the small number of pups they produce, this initial estimate should be cause for concern. It should be remembered, sharks are no different to terrestrial apex predators; adults give birth to fewer pups, and as they mature their migratory range increases therefore surviving to adulthood becomes problematic. They face environmental challenges on top of natural attrition and human intervention.
What i want to know, from a shark expert, is how often whites breed and how many pups do they have,because ive looked at a lot of info on this and watched a lot of shows as in Sharkmen etc,the guys who are running Oceansearch and No one seems to know, so how come the csiro know and no body else do or have i missed something?So my point being if we dont know if they have one pup or seven or if they breed every 1,2 or 3 years how can you deduce how many sharks are coming thru.Also if they have only been studying them for ten years why were they protected 16 or so years ago with no information available?
I've surfed Hawks Nest to Big Gibber consistently for 15years. Have had some encounters and seen some crazy things happen that have made mates think about ever going back in the water, especially along that stretch. However it's amusing that since all this shark talk has popped up again, I haven't spotted one shark while in the water up there, when in recent years you were guaranteed to see a white 1.5mtrs-4.5mtrs. When they were plague-like in the area there was some sort of fish farm a few klms offshore, but since that has been taken away I would say the shark sightings have decreased dramatically. I've heard that Pacific Palms area have had a few lately so maybe they are heading further north and not lingering where they once did
Have heard the same thing Mitch.
5-6 sharks spotted a day from Forster to Seals and mainly juveniles but they are everywhere.
App not many people surfing as well when usually it would be really busy due to the activity.
Craig was up there the other week and it was pumping everywhere with no one in water still at 10am.. Then once a few guys started paddling out the crowds started to come! I agree they are still there but it's crazy I havnt seen one along the hawks nest stretch since this whole shark thing went viral! Even the fishos have said how quiet it has been..the tiger sharks from last year that just appeared and stayed for a while havnt been seen either!
Kent, regarding the warm water off the east coast, not sure what is causing it but i dont think it is El Nino related? Typically warm water off the east coast. Is La Nina conditions and results in more rainfall?
We are in El Nino so body of cooler water on our side of the pacific- however there has been a relative warm stream of water running close to the coast.... The horror years in WA were in a very strong la nina and meant warm water pooled up close to shore on the west coast
great article, lots of useful info and insights, and very well written, thanks Whiteshark. it was great to learn more about predictive tools and realtime data sources for shark migrations/locations. how is shark tagging funded and what is the present cost to place, monitor a realtime transponder and to post tracking data somewhere public?
Thanks for everyones comments,sorry Im a bit time poor so Ill try to clarify a few things..
Firstly,Im a surfer like the rest of you,live and grown up on the coast here in Vic..I have a trust Tag For Life which provides funding and helps support scientists researching these animals…So I have a vested interest in the topic…I want to find the truth…
Fortunately Im supported by a network of family and friends directly involved in various marine based activities from surfing,abalone diving, commercial and rec fishing all providing time and resources to help scientists...
I don't have any alignment with green or conservation groups nor ideologies…Simply wanting to find establish the facts and then be able to present them to you the public…So I chose to get involved with the countrys leading researchers..
Disappointedly for all the conspiracy theorists out there,these guys aren in white shark research for the fame or fortune or prolonging their research careers but, to figure out whats going on with these animals…
Not sure that many of you are aware but we don't have a designated white shark program here in Aus..Its not a commercial species,brings in no value to Govt depts or institutions other than media mayhem..In other words,white sharks are a pain the arse…
The only time funding appears from the ether is in response to shark attacks and fatalities…
Scientists are then wheeled out and asked to explain what they're doing about it and hurry up,its inconveniencing our coastal lifestyles.
We need to understand this animal is off to a hell of a head start on us..
For one it lives underwater,we can't see it unlike its predatory colleagues on land,
plus,it is highly mobile and migratory..Tricky
Fortunately,we've been able to evolve with technology both over and under and can now follow its movement and behaviour in much greater depth..
This combined with DNA from 20 years of tissue sampling extracted from tagged animals is fast tracking how big the population of white sharks is around our coast..
Scientists are now establishing sibling and parent relationships through whats called Close kin genetics….Its this technique that has helped them determine an initial populate size of adults.. http://m.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/secrets-of-the-great-white-star...
What we've also learnt is there are two distinct populations of white sharks in Australia and Wilsons Promentary is the invisible barrier between the two.These critters probably give birth in Bass Strait from around 15 yrs of age or 5m…They delivery pups every alternate year and produce 1-7 individuals of which only 1-2 survive the first season…They then cycle between Bass Strait and Port Stephens for 5-6 yrs and then begin to extend their range…So perhaps its some of these sharks that are now appearing in the northern rivers..
Scientists aren't the ones determining whether or not these animals stay a protected species,that is the role of Government.
The role of scientists is to establish the truth,they are an independent unbiased umpire and report to the relevant authorities who determine whether the listing stays or goes…
As I said,Im a surfer who is fortunate to work with these guys and I can tell you for fact,what they are doing is real and happening..Unfortunately answers dont happen overnight..
The biggest problem as I see it and I know the scientists agree,is getting information to the public and the conveying the correct messages..
There are publications available…Unfortuantely corporate communication departments at these Govt institutions aren't the most suited for extending information..Clunky would best describe it…Anyone watch Utopia by any chance.?
Some interesting questions asked above,Ill see if I can chase up more answers..
In the meantime,any feedback or recommendations from people in the forum is more than welcome…
Thanks…Kent
G'day Kent,
you mentioned in your article "the 2m plus range becoming more opportunistic during movement from site to site". On a country wide scale, are there sections of the coast that could roughly be classed as 'passing thru' zones as opposed to final destinations, such as these nursery areas. I'm thinking of the Mornington Peninsula but could be any where. If so is it the case that in some stretches of coast there may be less sharks around but the sharks that are passing through tend to be in a different mode of behavior than when at a final destination?
cheers Mark
Hi Mark…Sorry for the late reply mate…
Interesting point…Best explained by currents…
Sharks appear to be more active in areas where there is mixing of currents..ie where cold meets warm on continental shelfs…Cold water is nutrient rich,when it hits the shelf it is drawn up and over the warmer water bringing with it upwellings of nutrients…In Victoria,these areas are off the far east coast and off Cape Bridgewater near Portland..Its around these locations where the greater majority of school ,bait and predatory fish radiate from including sharks…The area in between is like an empty highway for most of the year until the school species start moving through such as snapper,salmon,kingfish…This is when you are most likely to see sharks along the Vic coast,primarily from OCT-APRIL in migratory/hunting mode…The seal colonies are just a bonus for white sharks,the chance to build up energy reserves before moving on….a Macdonalds pitstop if you like..
neptune island, shark gets killed, sharks disappear , WA shark cull, sharks get killed, sharks disappear , no correlation?
whireshark is quite forward about saying little is known, and numbers published are rough guesses at best. this doesn't give me much confidence at all that shark numbers are not increasing disproportionately to other fish.
whiteshark says SA is having a quiet time of sorts. I'd love ti know if number of sharks are actually less, or luck/other coincidental factors have turned. there has still been plenty of sightings, certainly doesn't seem to be a shortage of sharks, and SA crew being familiar with sharks probably don't tell the media.
my thinking is sharks were well over hunted until protection came in. at this time the numbers were still healthy at isolated spots like west SA, east WA, even port stephens is quite isolated relatively. but pretty much cleaned out close to population centres ie. 3 hours south of perth, 2 hours south of brisbane. through protection, numbers increased significantly in the isolated areas, and being migratory, they've moved out looking for environmental opportunities.
shark moves into an area that was formerly populated by sharks, but is now uncommon territory (byron bay, SW WA) is a little wired up just like a person cruising a bad unfamiliar neighborhood, weird vibes, has the recklessness and testosterone pumping like a teenager as talked about above so is a little antsy and quick to react. unfortunately for northern NSW this might be just the natural rehabitation of an area. that was previously over fished.
yeah whiteshark , could you ask all your shark connections what would be the affect on burying whales on the beaches and is there a way now, how they could test the water to see if there is a burley trail from the buried whale out into the ocean.
the fact that whale burying on the beachs in NSW seems to be the "norm" , as its extremely expensive to remove a whale carcass ($200K) off the beach compared to burying it!
$200k really ?
Didn't Byron have a whaling station from the mid '50s to the mid '60's?
Maybe all those fluids are still seeping out.
Stopped processing whales in 1962
how about checking water temps in your research
where is the csiro data - can someone get it via freedom of information
i think they 'hit the wall' dependent on EAC
former whaling station and no nets and buried whale carcass's YEAH BOY!
OK. Would Kent and his friends be open to a crowd fund?
This is what we need.
Small waterproof, energy efficient (solar) tracking devices, POV cameras and return to base drones. Also combined efforts from lifesavers, helicopter pilots, media copters, light planes, surfers, phone apps, fishos, twitter, facebook, Derryn Hinch and Bronwyn Bishop on one of her jaunts.
Then just maybe we'll all feel safe and go for a surf.
Sympathies to any one ever involved in an attack...and I wouldn't surf anywhere near Northern NSW right now....hope they go away soon.
I have to surf. Like most of you reading this. No question.
I'll be doing so as safely as I can and know there is a small risk.
Keep up the great work Kent.
Seriously though, is there any way we can help?
Thanks for all your feedback guys…The no of dead whales along the coast is an intriguing one and as I mentioned,if they are buried trust me,the oil leeches out for weeks…Not ideal to be anywhere near…
Of course the shark activity would be reliant on animals passing through,burley trails such as these only draw in sharks that are in the immediate area…Ill certainly flag it with my colleagues from CSIRO though..
Icandig…Interesting you should raise the point of crowd funding,it is definitely something we are looking into…Personally,id like to see a facility or mechanism that could be rolled out in coastal towns that displays the research underway including the outcomes .Any donations and entry fees going back toward research/education into sharks..We need to engage the community and make them feel as though they are part of a program….Just a thought and certainly receptive to other ideas….Please fire away..
Everyone's having a crack at theories . So why not throw ya hat in the ring . Here goes .
Water temps close to the shore sounds like s correlation as previously mentioned . The timing of whale numbers recovery/proliferation may also be another input .
WA's Run a few years back of above average water temps were a combination of a negative IOD linking straight into a multy year LaNina . Now recently on the east coast we have seen a longish borderline El Niño which should have seen cooler waters , but now that in the last few months that we have seen the central pacific waters reach near record temps and the extent of these waters have backed up further to the west as the El Niño is so strong . This could be why the EAC has remained stronger . But it's not the most likely that I can see . Before the 90's as others have said more remote spots have held higher interactions . With juvenile stocks perhaps make a turn towards returning back to PRE whaling numbers , then our observational evidence will be naught as that has been in existence for nearly as long as settlement .
So ontop of healthier stocks , the only other correlation I can see to regional clusters would be lack of runoff for periods of multiple terms , to 5 years and in some cases near decadel . Why this lack of fresh water injection sees them fossick more aggressively I'll leave to behavioural experts .
So the evidence I can see is SA had a dry period From the mid 1990's peaking before a short respite in 2000 and then again till later in that decade . About which time WA saw a similar trend but ending later , which I only suspect is a pause of late .
Back on the eastern population Gippsland had som dry years , but perhaps of more relevance Is some of the fish sanctuaries established near 10 years ago down in the nursery . And then the second dry period since then has us now at record numbers . If this theory is right then we have another 6 mths perhaps slightly shorter until things calm down . What is more worryng is a second generational increase in the western population due soon !?! The only saving grace so far in the western population has been Orcas being into it and making hay why the sun shines .
Probably wrong, but hey I felt left out not putting forward my own crackpot theory .
Kent knowing all you do and witnessing all you have , do you think twice of refuse to surf anywhere you use to frequent ?!?
Southey..I like where you're going with this mate…Heres another..Ive been dealing with some of the original game fishers from the late 60-80s..According to them,a fair chunk of the adult breeding stock from the southern ocean was removed during this time and the juvenile recruitment wasn't happening.
Now if you think back,this coincided with the development of the surf industry…
So during the 80s-late 90s when surfing really hit its straps ,there were more people entering the water but the white shark population was relatively depleted…Interactions with surfers minimal.
Whites became a protected species in the late 80s-90s throughout the various states and shark nos began to pick up…
Hit the early 2000s…Human population on the coast increases exponentially,water activities become a priority and surf companies flying high pushing punters to use the water..Meanwhile, in the background,white sharks are reaching breeding ages,nos increasing,juvenile recruitment occurring…..
interactions become greater.
Fast track to current day…Second generation of juveniles coming through,more and more people using the water over and above…Interactions between adult stock and now juveniles becomes greater…
Theres one to ponder….
Replying to your question….This may sound bizarre but,I think working with these animals has made surfing easier…A case of getting to know the opposition better.!
Heres an interesting analogy..I think they behave no differently to a dog….Most of the time quite standoffish and preferring to circle you but,there is always the odd one that is unhinged and will cause you grief no matter …
From what Ive observed,they can also develop learned behaviour..Are great at remembering areas that have been kind to them so will return to a site when conditions are ripe for them to be there,can change their hunting strategy to suit various situations….Knowing all that concerns me..
So Im not mad on surfing places around Port Lincoln,or around Albany…Still surf happily around Port Fairy-Portland but always on alert..
Central Vic no problem….
NSW south coast no problem…
Id question northern NSW at the moment given the skittish behaviour of the sharks up there currently,certainly behaving more agitated than the Port Stephens crew...
Hi Kent,i think your on the money here and i really think whites are indeed a lot smarter than given credit for thats why they have been around for a long time.Also not a lot is known if anything about their breeding cycle but you would have to think that they would have a similar cycle to humpbacks so as to keep the natural balance?So if this is possibly in the ball park we are just starting to see a big increase in white numbers.So how do you see the future say in the next ten years panning out shark/human wise?
Thanks for your input on this thread too.
Simba it'll be interesting to see what percentage of the juvenile population survive to reproductive age..Now with the long life acoustic tags surgically implanted in their stomach wall,we should start to learn more about their behaviour and rates of survival…Naturally that won't account for the ones that aren't tagged but,for the ones that are and given they follow similar pathways,it should give some idea of the interaction with fish stocks as well as commercial fisheries and beach meshing programs…
Interesting what you say about the humpback population…I know we've seen a huge increase in whale traffic here in Vic,orcas included..Never seen them so close to the coast as the past few years..Not too mention a rise in seal numbers…All points on the compass would suggest white shark populations will follow suit but given their small no of pups certainly not explode..
I definitely think we'll be seeing more interactions with humans given the number of people in the water alone and the fact surfers are moving further and further afield from mainstream surf spots..
Southey. Not sure I'd say the nth nsw to Central nsw has seen low rainfall totals in recent years?
More the eastern states as a whole . ( I did say it was another crackpot theory that flew into my head ) .
Southey crackpot theory ! I dig it
The critical thing going forward is that given increased numbers of mature GW as inevitable and greater familiarity with humans through water sports, fishing and cage diving is whether a behavioural shift occurs in significant numbers of sharks. How hard wired are they really into patterns built over millions of years? Many land animals have proven very adaptable to changing behaviour as human encroached on their world (bears breaking into tents, rubbish tins and even cars for example).
If GWs made such a shift and the learning was passed onto within the population (they often hunt in pairs) they would pick surfers and swimmers off with ease. Such a shift would be most likely to happen if they were short on food which is definitely a possible scenario.
I watched some drone footage of a GW shark on Pismo beach in California today on youtoob and it leisurely cruised by the surfers without much interest. Then a guy paddled and caught a wave just near it. The water disturbance made it head into shore in the direction of the surfer riding the wave but it was slow and casual - seemed well fed. But if it was really hungry it might have been a different story.
I often wonder what the sharks who attack board riders think afterwards - biting fibreglass or a fin might not be very pleasant compared to juicy seal. Wetsuit might taste unpleasant and a belly full of wetsuit and chunks of fibreglass would not be great for the digestion. And surfers often fight back - some land punches and even read someone popped the sharks eye out. Many people escape back to land. So it may be that some attacks don't create much desire to repeat the experience unless desperate. I reckon you could assume a good proportion of attacks don't imprint humans as a preferred meal option. The relatively limited numbers of attacks compared to ocean users supports this.
"But although safety first is the rule when tiger-shark are about in numbers, plenty of Gilbertese are ready to fight a lone prowler in its own element. Owing to its great girth, a tiger cannot turn quickly; once launched on its attack, it thunders straight forward like a bull; there lies the hunter's advantage in single combat. Out sailing with a Tarawa friend one day, I pointed out a cruising dorsal fin. "That's a tababa (tiger-shark)," he said,"watch me kill him."
We lowered sail and drifted. He slid overboard with his knife and paddled around waiting to be noticed. He soon was. The fin began to circle him, and he knew he was being stalked; he trod water; it closed in gradually, lazily to fifteen yards.
He held his knife right-handed, blade down, the handle just above the water, his crooked right elbow pointed always toward the gliding fin. He would have a split second to act when the charge came. It came from ten yards' range. There was a frothing swirl; the fin shot forward like an arrow; the head and shoulders of the brute broke surface, rolling as they lunged. My friend flicked aside at the last blink of time and shot his knife into the upswinging belly as it surged by. His enemy's momentum did the rest. I saw the belly rip itself open like a zip -fastener, discharging blood and guts. The tiger disappeared for a while, to float up dead a hundred yards off.
That kind of single combat used to be fairly common. It was rather like a nice score of fifty at cricket in England; the villagers applauded but did not make a great song about it."..........................
..........."Two chief dangers threatened them then: tiger-shark were all around them, and they were near enough to the ocean reef to be sucked out to sea when the tide began to fall. Teriakiai attended to the sharks first of all. He started by hacking the mainsail adrift with gaff and boom complete. The canvas, buoyed at head and foot by its spars, made a fine bag underwater, into which he ushered the captain and engineer: "Stay inside this," he said, bridling their refuge by a length of halyard to the upturned boat,"and the tababa won't smell you." Then he looked for the anchor. The chain had fortunately been made fast to a thwart, but it took him an hour of diving and groping to get everything unsnarled so that the anchor reached bottom. "I'll go and get help now," he said when that was done : "If I can get past those tababa, we shall perhaps be meeting again."
He swam straight at the ring of tigers, the captain and engineer watched him, and the devils let him through. I asked him afterwards if he had any notion why. He replied, "If you stay still in the sea, the tababa will charge you. If you swim away from them in fear, they will smell your fear and chase you. If you swim without fear towards them, they will be afraid and leave you in peace." So he chose his shark, swam full speed towards it, and lo! the line melted away before him. There was absolutely nothing to it except a courage that passes belief."
Extracts from ' A Pattern of Islands' by Sir Arthur Grimble, Ch 5 "Lagoon Days"
Staggering quotes. They were men in those days...
For fun, take your general reading and exclude everything after the 1930s. You see an amazing world of diversity, as it was; and people acting in conviction and not paralysed by dogma. For me, reading Bligh's accounts in Polynesia before his muntiny was a glimpse into an inconceivable, incredible world. Practises of the Polynesian people there, when following Fletcher Christian and friends, explain a lot about that part of the world today.
Bonus reading for anyone, read and understand 2 years before you conceive children: Weston A. Price "Nutrition and Physical Degeneration". Researched and written 1920s-30s.
A Pattern of Islands - Great book - recommend you read it. Every few years I pull it out and read it again it is that good.
Cheers Kent for your piece and follow up points.
In open discussions it’s often hard to separate science from management. Thanks for explaining that CSIRO’s population estimates for adults rely (to an extent) on close kin genetics. Provided tissue sampling has been representative this would seem to be our first reliable estimate of status. While it’s unfair to ask do you think any of the scientists involved would speculate on what level the pre-European population was?
Also sounds like the scientists consider that the population is still at a reasonably low level. One website I looked at suggested that white shark population doubling time is over 14 years. Given we have now had attack clusters on the east and west coasts at the current level(s) I think some serious thought about reconciling the rebuild against safety and tourism impacts is needed.
Honestly reckon if the experts got a pod of orca's (killer whales) and got them to travel like 200 metres offshore along the the north coast from like Byron bay to Forster and I reckon there is a strong chance that Great white Sharks would go away. I think that if what's happening the most keeps happening they should try it out
Has there ever been any research into the behaviour of sharks that have known to have attacked humans???
Any evidence for or against on the risk of them attacking again?
Not that I'm aware of mate..
The biggest problem being to establish which shark was responsible to begin with..
In the majority of cases the animal has left the scene of the crime…
The rogue shark theory hasn't been proven nor the one suggesting they stick in the area…
whiteshark Tootr posted a link to all the whales that have been buried on the beaches on the NSW coast in the last few years...
what do you think of the theory that all the dead whales being buried on the beach is attracting and making sahrks/GWS hang around and sample the menu , which seems like they are just testing the food source but don't seem to eat the bodies , not enough blubber ,humans are a bit bony?
You guys see the story below - two whites spotted - one videoed - in Lake Macquarie. Commercial fishing was stopped there around 2002 - the mullet are very plentiful.
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/shark-video-shows-lake-macquar...
Mullet........ppphhhhhtttt........that shark is just confused. It would have been lured in by the scent of the buried whale in the dunes and then gone in the lake looking for it .
Byron Bay surfers test Shark Sonar :ABC online.
Lake Macquarie is the largest coastal salt water lake in Australia and has a pretty decent sized entrance. Sharks are regularly seen in there and always have been. Interestingly there is a designated swimming area for kids near the narrowest part of the entrance channel in pelican.
Pretty interesting udo.
SHARK REPORT LENNOX HEAD NSW NEAR SURF CLUB
Katie Redhead > Shark Reports
Sep 17th, 5:20pm
4.30 this afternoon 15 ft white pointer spotted leaping out of water. In between life saving club and the pub, Lennox Head.
Thanks Katie for the report.
The Shark Reports Team
UPDATE:
This sighting was witnessed by local surfer Howard Alston and friends on the beach. The shark, described as a White, was seen to be chasing baitfish in the gutter in waste deep water moving in a southerly direction at the same location and lunging at the bait ball.
Thanks Howard and your mates confirming this sighting.
Shark Reports (Halden)
Been reading and following Swellnet articles and threads on the shark activity and attacks. Haven't read every post but ...
To me it seems as though some people are looking for *the* reason ie
- More GWS / sharks
- More humans in the water
- less fish / food source for sharks / over-fishing
- Moon tide phases
- More whales
- Geographic reasons / nurseries etc
- Ocean temperature fluctuations
- Clusters
- Whales buried by councils
etc etc
Isn't it likely it's a combination of some / all of these factors? Tagging GWS seems a logical place to start, but I can't see that alone will best answer ...
54mm rain at Evan Heads Southey biggest rainfall in ages.
Air T@G helicopters reporting from the morning flyover Evans -Byron bay
Numerous sharks spotted 2.5 -4m in length ,we are not shark experts but they appear to be GWS.
ABC has some details of the recent shark tagging off the North Coast.
http://www.abc.net.au/local/photos/2015/09/23/4317923.htm
It's a pity that the DPI haven't set up a publicly accessible web page so that the shark locations can be updated on a regular basis. The tagging activities might be resulting in the dispersal of the shark concentration.
Only juvenile shark sightings is interesting, but it is these larger juveniles that appear to pose the most risk recently.
I haven't read any of this stuff - no time of late for fun web surfing (or even real surfing for that matter...boo). I haven't even read this paper I'm linking so no idea whether it's consistent with what you lot have been saying, but it's a new paper in Frontiers in Ecol and Evolution, about white shark attack rates in California so might be of interest to some. The authors have kindly uploaded a copy outside the ESA paywall.
Reconciling predator conservation with public safety
http://baseline2.stanford.edu/Ferretti.etal.2015Frontiers.pdf
Vic Hislop recently had his frozen GWS listed for sale on gumtree for $30k .
SMH has just put a GWS shark article up.
http://www.smh.com.au/interactive/2017/sharks/shark-alert/
Cant understand why Coffs harbour never gets any hits at its receiver from tagged sharks passing through,doesn't make sense,what do they by pass it.Also in the article above on the map it says we have drum lines and air surveillance.....thats news.
Pretty interesting map with the sliding scale, definite increase over the last few years.
from SMH article “I still know that shark nets aren’t keeping us safe and they have no place in our waters,” she says. “Most of what’s caught in the nets poses no risk to humans and the toll on the wildlife … I think we can do better than that in this day and age.”
until we can I would be pretty happy to have nets in my area.
Heaps of sharks spotted around Vicco coastline of late, i wouldn't be surprised if we get an attack in the next few months.
White shark do you have an opinion on shark cage diving? The numbers of attacks have exploded since the operation off SA started in the early 2000's. Also the SA government in its wisdom have approved a tuna farm tourist attraction in the heart of the states most frequented surf location, would you think this would be a cause of concern?
That article comes across as another attempt to build up support for the conservationists who want to get rid of shark nets. An obvious clue is the use of the word "bites" instead of "attack". When they stage their protests at Manly or Bondi, they often bring along a couple of people dressed up as sharks to give hugs to the kids on the beach. They also like to quote useful statistics such as you have more chance of being killed by a bee, horse, coconut or shark-net protester driving a car, all of which just adds to your chances of being killed on the way to the beach but doesn't reduce your risk of being attacked, bitten or hugged by a shark when you get there.
Look at some of the comments in the article.
"Scientists, such as Simpfendorfer, say it’s impossible to know whether there would have been more deaths without the nets. Greater lifesaving and other surveillance efforts are likely to be in place at those more populous beaches, with medical teams often not too far away too." Rubbish. The records show the significant decrease in attacks and fatalities from the moment the nets were put in the water. The comments about lifesaving and medical teams are pure speculation.
Then the usual comments about the design of the nets not forming a barrier.
"The nets rarely encompass a beach. Instead, they are typically 150-200 metres long and six metres high, sitting in 10-12 metres or deeper waters. Creatures can swim around, over or under them.". Yes, that's exactly how they were designed to catch, restrict or hinder the four types of sharks that commonly attack humans and minimise the bycatch.
“According to the data, 17 per cent of attacks in NSW have been on netted beaches since the program began,” Bruce says, adding that seven of the attacks were by whites and more than a third attributed to small wobbegong sharks. So, the data says that 83% of attacks are outside netted beaches. And of the 17% inside netted beaches, a third of those were from wobbegongs, bottom swimmers that the nets are not designed to catch, and often bite when a swimmer treads on one. It's more evidence that the nets work, but the writer's comment is intended to encourage doubt based on the 17% statistic without any further evaluation of the data.
Professor Hart, from Macquarie, says the decision to introduce the nets to northern NSW was “largely political and not necessarily based on science”. The professor doesn't explain how he arrived at that conclusion. He doesn't appear to regard the data that has been collected over the past 80 years as evidence.
Lisa Mondy was attacked by a GWS while wakeboarding inside the heads at Port Stephens. That stretch of coastline does not have shark nets, yet Lisa states at a rally protesting against shark nets: “I still know that shark nets aren’t keeping us safe and they have no place in our waters,” she says. “Most of what’s caught in the nets poses no risk to humans and the toll on the wildlife … I think we can do better than that in this day and age.” We probably can do better, but until someone works out how to do better, shark nets are the proven way to reduce attacks.