AI drones on the cards for WA as shark tagging program expanded

WA shark tagging program to be expanded as funding announced for AI drones In short: The WA government has announced an additional $5 million for shark mitigation measures in the wake of a fatal attack last month. This will include money to investigate the potential use of AI-powered drones, as well as funding to increase shark tagging efforts. More helicopter and lifeguard patrols will also aim to keep beachgoers safe. Western Australia's shark tagging program will be expanded and the use of AI-powered drones investigated as part of a suite of measures aimed at keeping beachgoers safe. WA Fisheries Minister Jackie Jarvis said the state's shark mitigation budget would be boosted by $5 million amid an increase in shark activity, after a whale washed up at City Beach last week and a swimmer was killed by a shark at Sorrento Beach last month. Ms Jarvis said $2.3 million would go towards boosting helicopter and aerial surveillance, with $1.2 million to support additional beach and drone patrols. Funding has also been set aside to investigate whether AI-powered shark-spotting drones used on the east coast could help future surveillance efforts in WA. Authorities are hoping the technology can be used to automatically detect the species of shark, and allow operators to utilise multiple drones at the same time. Ms Jarvis said the funding, which would bring the government's investment in shark mitigation to $12 million, would make a major difference. "This means more helicopter patrols, it means expanded aerial coverage across metropolitan and South West beaches, it means more lifeguards on duty, more drone patrols, at those high-use metropolitan and regional beaches over summer, " she said. Shark tagging efforts boosted Ms Jarvis said the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) would receive an extra $800,000, which she said would double WA's shark tagging efforts. The tags, which are implanted into sharks, trigger real-time alerts through acoustic receivers. Money is also due to be set aside for the installation of more receivers to detect the presence of sharks, which is then relayed to swimmers via the SharkSmart app. Surf Life Saving WA president Heidi Gan welcomed the funding, saying last month's fatal attack at Sorrento and heightened shark activity in recent days had "created fear and eroded the confidence of beachgoers across our state". There have been three fatal shark attacks in WA this year, but Ms Jarvis continued to dismiss calls for a cull, or for the commercial capture of sharks. "I don't think there is an appetite to start culling the shark when we have spent a few decades bringing them back from extinction," she said. "People in Western Australia understand we can't mitigate all the risks, what we can do is provide as much information as possible to beach users and give them choices, so they can make that informed choice about where they swim." Beaches in the Town of Cambridge, including City Beach, remain closed due to high levels of E. coli bacteria in the water. The Department of Health has advised water testing results indicate recent contamination, likely linked to the whale carcass. Cambridge Mayor Gary Mack said the beaches would remain closed until bacteria levels went down.