Earlier this year, a massive great white shark allegedly as big as the one in Jaws was spotted lurking around Adelaide waters, just less than 200 yards away from the shore where a carnival was supposed to take place. Events were cancelled and people were evacuated.
It's only one of many shark sightings-slash-almost shark attacks reported in Australia. In 2015, officials said there were 18 shark attacks recorded in the country, with one fatality.
So how will the country prevent such an incident from happening again? The solution lies in the world's first million-dollar shark-repellent cable, a new technology recently tested by the South African government.
The shark-deterrent cable was installed underwater in a Cape Town beach in South Africa and tested by the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board.
During the trial that lasted four weeks, more than 50 great white sharks approached the cable, and they all veered away upon swimming close. The trial ended in a 100 percent success rate, scientists said.
But how does the electric cable work? Researchers said the device confuses the sensory systems of approaching sharks, and so they swim away. Fortunately, researchers say the deterrent cable is harmless to both humans and sharks.
With this tech, researchers plan to eliminate the use of drumlines and shark nets, all of which endanger other species including grey nurse sharks.
The board will also contact Australia to offer the deterrent cable to locations with shark attack history, including Cottlesloe.
Developers of the deterrent cable are currently creating commercial versions of the device for governments, which will effectively reduce the cost to $200,000. The cost will also depend on the cable's length, which will run parallel to the shore for hundreds of miles if needed.
Paul von Blerk, the project manager of Sharks Board, expressed his enthusiasm to help, especially now that they've seen the device work well.
"We'd like to bring it to Perth beaches within a few years," added von Blerk.
It took 25 years for von Blerk to perfect the shark deterrent cable, but he is not a newbie. The government of West Australia has reportedly allocated $300,000 toward a Shark Shield that he had helped develop 10 years ago.
Photo: Bellamy Andrew | Flickr
