Australia Deploys Drones, Smart Tech to Combat Rising Shark Attacks

High above Sydney's beaches, drones scan the blue waters for the flick of a tail, the swish of a fin, or a shadow moving through the swell. Australia's latest weapon against shark attacks isn't a net or a barrier—it's technology soaring 60 meters above the ocean.

With fatal shark attacks on the rise—56 deaths in the past 25 years compared to just 27 in the previous quarter-century—Australia has become a global testing ground for shark deterrent technology. The country's approach combines cutting-edge innovation with traditional methods, though not without controversy about what actually works and what protects both swimmers and marine life.

Drones have become a key resource in the state's multi-layered defense strategy, according to Surf Life Saving New South Wales. "We err on the side of caution," drone pilot Oliver Heys told AFP, explaining how operators watch for the three most dangerous species during peak beach hours. When a shark is spotted, beaches can be cleared within minutes—a response time impossible with traditional monitoring methods.

But aerial surveillance is just one piece of Australia's shark mitigation puzzle. Authorities have deployed acoustic trackers that attach to sharks, allowing them to be detected by listening buoys positioned near popular beaches. When a tagged shark swims within range, the Shark Smart mobile app sends real-time alerts to swimmers, surfers, and divers, giving them time to exit the water safely.

Personal Protection Goes High-Tech

Beyond early warning systems, researchers are developing technology that individuals can wear or attach to their equipment. Professor Charlie Huveneers at Flinders University has found that personal electronic devices designed to repel sharks by interfering with their electro-sensory systems can reduce bites by about 60%. These devices work by creating an electric field that overwhelms the organs sharks use to navigate, essentially making the experience so unpleasant that they swim away.

The technology doesn't harm sharks—researchers compare it to humans moving away from uncomfortably loud music. One such device, the Rpela V2, costs around $500 and clips to the bottom of surfboards, reducing bite likelihood by 66% and cutting shark interactions like nudges by 38% during testing off Western Australia's coast.

Video Credit: AFP News Agency

Perhaps most promising are new bite-resistant wetsuits. Research at Flinders University tested four different materials by having great white and tiger sharks bite samples dragged behind boats. The results were encouraging: all materials significantly reduced damage compared to standard neoprene. Since most shark attack deaths result from blood loss rather than the bite itself, these suits could buy crucial time for victims to reach medical help.

"Most people who die from shark bites, it's from blood loss," explained Nick Whitney, a senior scientist at New England Aquarium who reviewed the research. "The goal of these suits is to protect you in specific areas and buy extra time for you to get to the beach and get to lifeguards and get medical assistance."

The Great Nets Debate

Not all shark mitigation methods receive universal support. Traditional shark nets—some wider than a football field and up to six meters deep—remain controversial. While deployed each summer in New South Wales and Queensland, support has waned because sharks can simply swim around, above, or below them, and the nets kill most marine life they ensnare, including endangered turtles, dolphins, and rays.

"Nets are outdated and can act as a 'dinner bell' when trapped carcasses attract the predators," Leonardo Guida, a shark scientist at the Australian Marine Conservation Society, told AFP. Data from New South Wales showed that more than 90% of marine animals caught in shark nets last summer weren't even sharks, with over half of the 208 non-target species killed.

Recent research published in the journal People and Nature suggests that no single solution works universally. Professor Huveneers and his team developed a framework comparing 15 different mitigation measures, from cutting-edge technology to traditional strategies. Their conclusion? A combination of approaches—including public education and behavioral changes shared between governments and beachgoers—is most effective.

Australia's challenge reflects a broader tension between protecting human life and preserving marine ecosystems. Globally, about 37% of oceanic shark and ray species are now listed as endangered or critically endangered. As Professor Huveneers noted, "Australia is at the forefront of shark bite mitigation measures," but finding the right balance between safety and conservation remains a work in progress.

With nearly two-thirds of Australia's population making 650 million coastal visits annually, the stakes are high. While shark attacks remain statistically rare, each incident sends ripples through coastal communities. The technology being developed and deployed may not eliminate all risk—many Australian families, like that of surfer Mercury Psillakis killed in September, accept shark encounters as "tragic and unavoidable accidents"—but it's increasingly clear that smart technology offers better protection than old methods ever did, for both people and sharks.