Queensland will strengthen drones shoing more beaches, after a major study found drones found more than double the number of chopped nets.
But while drones will be a “permanent livestock” in the state’s sholk-control operations, the department of primary industries such as nets and lines for dolphins, rods, fins and turtles.
Rob Adsett, Queensland’s chief remote life surf pilot, says drones are a “great Surbersilence Tool” that gives life owners a better view of everything on the beach. Drones are used to collect data on coastal conditions and manage risks related to sharks, with added benefit to relief efforts and rescue efforts.
Drone operations are increasingly synonymous with life-saving services, he said. “So we start our patrols at the start of the day when they put the flags up. And we fly until lunchtime, and that’s because of the weather.”
The ability to see and follow sharks – and suspected sharks – in real time means lifeguards can manage safety risks without “saying it out loud.”
“In the past if there was a shark report, we could close the beach for an hour, only to find out later that there was no shark.”
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Drones are an effective shark control measure that offer additional survival benefits compared to shark nets, according to Queensland Government Reportwhich monitored 10 beaches in four years.
If large sharks are targeted by drones, and thought to be a danger to the public, people can be cleared from the water. Drones also provide additional benefits, the report says, helping rescue swimmers from RIP Currents and searching for missing people.
Shark nets had the highest environmental impact, with 123 non-target animals (not including non-target sharks) caught in the nets during the test period.
The bycatch, as it is called, included 13 dolphins, eight whales, 45 turtles, two blind protected under environmental laws. About half the time it took to get it.
In May, Crisafulli’s government announced it was expanding the use of shark nets, a position it has maintained despite dozens of whales stranded in recent months. The State has now removed 27 nets and 383 drum lines designed arrest and kill Seven target shark species.
The settlement, which runs from 2020 to 2024, is part of the state government’s commitment to research to compare methods of controlling the patgle.
During the trial there were 676 shark eyes on drones, including 190 for sharks larger than 2 meters, which is higher than those captured by the fruit program – 284 and 133, respectively.
“Drones provide a high-definition view of a wide ocean path, allowing the detection of sharks in real time, while non-target effects on the environment and non-target effects on the environment and non-target.
Prof RoBert Harcourt, a marine engineer at Macquarie University, said the results were “not surprising” and similar to those found in New South Wales.
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“If you’ve got clear water and a sandy beach, then drones are effective in discovering sharks and other animals.”
“With drones, you don’t stop anything coming, but you can see what’s out there and tell people to get out of the water — which means nobody gets hurt.
“The nets are there, not to protect the beach, but to fish it,” he said.
Harcoart said that it is good that Queensland is using drones as a tool to manage sharks, and it would be better if the state considered moving to “Smart Drum Lines” – where the smart drums “- where the smart drums” – where the animals are considered, which are considered lines that are “conftered and released by animals.
prof charlie huveneers, who leads the southern ecology ecology group at Flinders University, said that there is “No Silkin Silkin in Siyily-Pundane related to the toolbox of steps.
“Drones are not lethal to target or bycatch species and can detect sharks that encourage people to leave the water, but are not suitable in all conditions, rain, low water visibility).”
A Department of Primary Industries spokesperson said the use of shark-spotting drones would be expanded from 10 to 20 beaches under the 2025 to 2029 shark management plan, “becoming a permanent fixture of Shark Control Program operations, complementing traditional measures like nets and drum lines”.
“While drones are a great addition to the program, they cannot replace Core program tools such as drum lines and nets at this time,” the spokesperson said.
Research in Australia Published last year up to 196 unsuspected shark incidents that do not differ from the undetermined human involvements on netus beaches from the 2000s.