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Eco barriers to protect swimmers from sharks in wake of latest attack

Xinhua, November 11, 2015 Adjust font size:

Eco barriers will be installed to protect swimmers and surfers from sharks at a notorious Australian beach where a highly talented surfer was mauled less than 24 hours ago, an official said on Wednesday.

Sam Morgan, 20, who was a World Surf League junior ranking of 33, has undergone surgery and put into an induced coma following a shark attack at Lighthouse Beach on the New South Wales (NSW) northern coast Tuesday evening.

Morgan made his own way out of the water after being mauled by a suspected Bull shark, before being helped by member of the public until emergency services arrived and eventually airlifted to a Gold Coast hospital.

At least 14 other shark attacks have taken place along the same notorious coastal stretch so far in 2015, including a fatality nearby when Japanese surfer Tadashi Nakahara, 41, was killed earlier this year.

Niall Blair, NSW primary industries minister, said on Wednesday the latest shark meshing technology, which has been under trial in Western Australia, will be at the beach over the summer period.

"There were meetings, even as early as Monday this week, to look at the types of eco barriers that we could put in at Lighthouse Beach," Blair told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

The barriers reportedly physically separate swimmers and surfers from sharks, however they do not capture marine life unlike other nets and meshing programs at popular Australian beaches.

However the local surfboard riders club has criticized the NSW government for what they say amounts to slow action in implementing shark prevention technology following the announcement of a multi-million dollar package in late October.

"It's taken the minister and the premier, I think, quite a long time to really move on it," Le-Ba Boardriders President Don Munro said.

"They've talked about a lot of things now that they want to implement. Let's see it happen now."

Authorities have been considering where to trial a range of shark detection and deterrent technologies under the 16 million Australian dollar (11.29 million U.S. dollar), five year integrated shark strategy that includes increased aerial surveillance, detection and deterrent devices and a shark-tagging program. Enditem