How technology can help prevent shark bites and keep beaches open

I watched everyone’s favorite summer movie, Jaws, again over the weekend. Fortunately, our relationship with the sharks is a far cry from what we saw in the movie. We clarify the facts and move away from outdated protection methods. And the most valuable tool for preventing shark bites is technology.

Shark bites are incredibly rare

Incidents of sharks biting humans are infrequent. According to International Shark Attack File137 suspected shark bites took place last year.

Most attacks are related to surfing (51%). Only 11 resulted in death – that’s less than a third drownings on beaches in the United States so far this year.

But our approach to shark bites is much more reactive than that to drowning prevention.

Shark nets and slaughterhouses are obsolete

Traditionally, responses to shark bites involve a brutal approach to slaughter, such as the use shark nets. These are submerged walls of nets that hang in the water and aim to reduce (kill) the shark population.

However, research has found that only 10% of their catch is sharks, as they unfortunately also trap dolphins, whales and turtles.

Nets are no longer used in Cape Town, Florida, New Zealand and Hawaii, but Australia is unfortunately still catching up.

But fortunately, there is now an arsenal of technology to help prevent and lessen the impact of shark bites.

Detect sharks

This week, a beach lifeguard on Long Island was bitten and dead while playing the role of a casualty during a training exercise in the ocean–eek. In response, beach patrols deployed drone patrol local beaches for sharks.

But there are also other options such as smart buoy. This autonomous marine monitoring platform uses sonar technology with advanced pattern recognition software, detecting different forms of large marine life. This data is transmitted to rescuers in real time.

Clever Buoy can operate sustainably in open ocean conditions 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, autonomously monitoring marine life and environmental conditions.

Combined with drones, it is an important tool to prevent shark bites.

Prevent bites

An Australian company has created a wearable device that uses sound to repel sharks.

The Personal Shark Repellent (PSR) emits a patented acoustic frequency that repels sharks but does not harm them.

More than ten species of sharks at various locations around the world have been constantly pushed back between five and ten meters. It turns on and off automatically via sensors that detect the presence of water.

Also from Australia is shark jumpsuit. The company has created suits using fabric that can withstand bites from live sharks.

The suits are made from ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) nanofibers. The fabric has a strength-to-weight ratio 50% greater than Kevlar and 8 to 15 times greater than steel.

The material can withstand the considerable force of a shark bite.

Moreover, he withstands only minor pinprick-sized punctures only on the most severe bite attacks to avoid the catastrophic blood loss and loss of limbs that cause death in many shark attacks.

It is worth noting that while there are many cutting-edge technologies (especially in Australia), they receive only limited media attention around the world. The media has long been criticized for being bloodthirsty for “shark attacks“.

This week we also saw two women killed shark bites in Egypt’s Red Sea, with reports including plenty of gory footage.

It doesn’t help change the cultural conversation around the fear of sharks. Education has a long way to go. Jaws the movie was about killing sharks, but today, preventing shark bites is as much about respect and conservation.