A new initiative deploying a fleet of drones will soon keep a watchful eye over New South Wales (NSW) beaches from sunrise to sunset, utilizing artificial intelligence as a promising, long-term strategy for enhancing beach safety.
NSW Premier Chris Minns has announced that the government will allocate an additional $34 million to significantly increase drone surveillance along the beaches of Sydney and the entire state coastline.
This decision comes in the wake of a tragic incident involving a great white shark, where a woman was attacked while swimming between the flags at the popular Coogee Beach in Sydney on June 13.
The victim, 34-year-old teacher Leah Stewart, sustained critical injuries and subsequently underwent surgery resulting in the amputation of her arm.
Announced Sunday, the expanded surveillance program will include 72 beaches, ensuring that at least one beach in each coastal local government area is monitored throughout the entire year by these drone patrols.
“No one can promise a shark mitigation program that can guarantee that there will be zero encounters with sharks,” Minns told reporters at Cronulla.
“But our plan here is to reduce the risk for swimmers and surfers in NSW beaches by using the latest technology … so that you get earlier warning if you’re in the water that there is a shark in the vicinity.”
The program could eventually culminate in the use of autonomous, AI-enabled drones, rather than human-controlled craft.
Two trials of the technology are due to take place during summer.
“We want to use old technology and we want to use new technology,” Minns said.
“When we can roll out automated drones and AI-assisted monitoring, (it) will make a big difference … because we’ll be able to identify and distinguish between different kinds of marine life for the first time.”
Beaches with high numbers of water users will be prioritised for the additional monitoring.
The bolstered surveillance will kick off on Wednesday and include year-round coverage of all of Sydney’s main beaches.
Some 500,000 drone flights were expected to be logged annually, Surf Life Saving NSW head Steve Pearce said while pointing to a drone being tested overhead.
“This is just one of a fleet of drones … that will be rolled out, up and down the NSW coastline, that allows our pilots to pilot drones hundreds of kilometres away from where they’re actually situated,” he said.
Controversial shark nets will be retained at some beaches, but they will be fortified by aerial surveillance.
Humane World for Animals Australia marine biologist Lawrence Chlebeck welcomed the world-leading commitment to drones, which he said were the best way to watch for sharks and reduce the risk of bites.
But he urged the government to scrap shark nets because they entangle other animals and are considered outdated and ineffective by the scientific community.
The nets, which are removed during the winter whale migration season, will be reinstalled in September.
A fundraiser to cover Stewart’s medical procedures and help her family has garnered more than $500,000 in donations.
The 34-year-old mother spent a week on life support and endured multiple surgeries but has been taken off the critical list.
The attack reignited calls to cull shark populations to protect swimmers, but Minns said great whites could not be targeted as they were a protected species.
Nico Antic, 12, was fatally attacked by a shark while swimming with friends near a popular beach at Vaucluse, in Sydney’s east, in January.
Surfer Mercury Psillakis, 57, died after being bitten by a shark at Long Reef beach, in the city’s north, in September.