Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Western Australian Sharks Send Tweets To Swimmers

Posted by samzenpus on from the check-to-see-if-it's-safe-to-go-back-in-the-water dept.

Zothecula writes "More shark attacks occur in Western Australia than almost anyplace else on Earth. In order to help protect swimmers and surfers, the state government relies largely on helicopter-based spotters, plus members of the public who report their own sightings. Now, however, the Department of Fisheries has introduced a new system, in which the toothy fishes announce their own presence via Twitter. Known as the Shark Monitoring Network, the system utilizes acoustic tags that are attached to the fins of individual sharks, along with buoyed monitoring devices that pick up the signals transmitted by those tags. When a tagged shark swims within range of one of the monitors, its species, size and location is automatically recorded."

43 of 75 comments (clear)

  1. Wow... by TWX · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...I saw this on ABC News a few hours ago. Their headline, "Sharks send tweets..." was just as inaccurate as this one.

    The sharks do nothing buy go about their routine. The system monitoring them sends tweets. The system monitoring them doesn't monitor all sharks, it monitors tagged sharks, so the system cannot be relied upon to notify of all sharks, it can only notify for known sharks whose tags still function.

    It's not a bad system, but it's not a sure-fire system either.

    --
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    1. Re:Wow... by Yew2 · · Score: 1

      yea where is the next gen hypersensitive sonar or freaking drones flying the perimeter of swimming areas! fy fan...

      --
      will work for dragon quest localization
    2. Re:Wow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

      It's unfortunate more people died. Sadly, sharks will be sharks. The system in the OP might sound stupid but so is the response from the Western Australian government. The current strategy is a cull of sharks off the coast (which will go ahead on Jan 10 and April 30).

      Both systems are obviously flawed in that only random sharks are tagged/killed. The articles system however can be just as effective (beaches can be closed, people can be warned) without the need to further kill off a protected species. I imagine that the statistics from tracked sharks could be useful in research as well.

      It would be nice if they offered a small bounty to fishermen who tag and release as part of the 'shark mitigation' (monitor and cull) package they just announced.

    3. Re:Wow... by wisnoskij · · Score: 1

      It sounds pretty stupid.

      You will never tag all the sharks, no where even near. This just lends a false sense of security.
      Also, who reads tweets in the water at the beach?

      It seems to me, given that their are a limited number of beaches, and they are constant and unchanging, you just would put some sort of sonar or drones or something at each one, with loud alarms to warn water goers in the area.

      Far far far more practical than tagging each and every shark, and then somehow hoping that every person in Australia buys some sort of underwater twitter reading watch.

      --
      Troll is not a replacement for I disagree.
    4. Re:Wow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      How is this headline inaccurate? The tagged sharks cause tweets to occur. Close enough, and I got the article I expected.
       
      It's not like the headline read, "all sharks send tweets", or "sharks use fins to send tweets on their Windows phones".

    5. Re:Wow... by DavidClarkeHR · · Score: 1

      ...I saw this on ABC News a few hours ago. Their headline, "Sharks send tweets..." was just as inaccurate as this one. The sharks do nothing buy go about their routine. The system monitoring them sends tweets. The system monitoring them doesn't monitor all sharks, it monitors tagged sharks, so the system cannot be relied upon to notify of all sharks, it can only notify for known sharks whose tags still function. It's not a bad system, but it's not a sure-fire system either.

      Right. It's not sharks with lasers on their heads - but they're still cyborg sharks. Just because the EM radiation doesn't occur in the visible spectrum doesn't mean they can't be dangerous. Or cool.

      --
      - Nec Impar Pluribus, or so I'm told.
    6. Re:Wow... by ChunderDownunder · · Score: 1

      given that their are a limited number of beaches

      You might want to check Google Earth there, mate. WA's coastline is huge, stretching thousands of km.

      It's not just city folk from the Perth region that sharks find tasty. The latest fatality, RIP, occurred 6 weeks ago off a coastal community of less than 400 people, in Gracetown, some 269km from the state capital. If it's not cost effective to put sonar on every beach along the coastline then the next small town attack would produce the outcry of "we should have used geotracking".

      I'm not saying the current system is foolproof but the expanse of coastline may have made your solution unviable cost-wise.

    7. Re:Wow... by Cattrance · · Score: 1

      It seems to me, given that their are a limited number of beaches, and they are constant and unchanging, you just would put some sort of sonar or drones or something at each one, with loud alarms to warn water goers in the area

      While it may be impractical to tag every shark out there there is almost as much beach as there is shark, not to mention that by nature beaches are continuously changing. There is a lot of solution-finding going on right now to protect people from sharks without having to kill the sharks. It may work - all you need is one person on the beach with a phone (who doesn't carry a phone with them?) to yell "shark in the water" and bob's your uncle.

      While you can't hope to tag every shark, perhaps it is possible to tag those that favour popular beaches?

      Drones aren't a bad idea, I suppose the limiting factor is identifying the sharks and having enough people to watch for them (via camera I assume).

    8. Re:Wow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      so is the response from the Western Australian government. The current strategy is a cull of sharks off the coast

      The WA government's response is a deliberate distraction, and a sop to the mouthbreathing bogans that voted them in.They're trying to protect the live sheep export industry from scrutiny.

      “Every year, thousands of dead sheep are thrown overboard as ships depart Australian ports for the Middle East, either whole or minced, without care or consideration for the consequences of these actions,” said Alexia Wellbelove of Humane Society International. “It is highly likely that the disposal of animal remains in this way will attract large sharks over a wide distance. This attraction of large sharks may have dreadful consequences. HSI is concerned that one of these consequences may be increased incident of shark attacks.”

      http://www.hsi.org.au/?catID=1179

    9. Re:Wow... by NoMaster · · Score: 2

      You might want to check Google Earth there, mate. WA's coastline is huge, stretching thousands of km.

      Exactly. Just as a comparison, Western Australia's coastline is roughly as long as the US Pacific coastline - including Hawaii & Alaska - or only about half as long as the entire US coastline

      --
      What part of "a well regulated militia" do you not understand?
    10. Re:Wow... by Golddess · · Score: 1

      and then somehow hoping that every person in Australia buys some sort of underwater twitter reading watch.

      Why would they need to do that? Just have one person who has the job of watching out for shark attacks, drownings, etc. Or if they don't want to hire a life guard, put in an electronic sign that checks the appropriate twitter account.

      --
      "I'm not sure I like the fugnutish tone you used in your post!" -RogL (608926)-
  2. next is lasers on them by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    first laser and then mega shark

  3. Shark Tweets by Nova+Express · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Get in ma belly!"

    "#ChompChompChomp"

    "Check out Buzzfeed's 27 Best Feeding Frenzies"

    "This One Trick Helps You Catch Swimmers" #SharkSpam

    "You can't escape!" #NeverGonnaGiveYouUp

    "And my teeth are...pearly white..."

    "I totally loved Jaws, except for that downer of an ending...

    --
    Lawrence Person (lawrencepersonh@gmailh.com (remove all "h"s to mail)

    http://www.lawrenceperson.com/

    1. Re:Shark Tweets by game+kid · · Score: 1

      "RT @kanyewest Maybe I shouldn't've opened my mouth when HE did. New #cyborgarm is a #bitchtopayfor"

      (Retweeted by LivingToothFactory)

      --
      You can hold down the "B" button for continuous firing.
    2. Re:Shark Tweets by c0lo · · Score: 1

      Can't follow you, Telstra doesn't sell smart surf boards.

      --
      Questions raise, answers kill. Raise questions to stay alive.
  4. Shark attacks are always a media beat-up by enoz · · Score: 5, Informative

    In Australia, there are an average of 1 deaths per year from Shark attacks

    For comparison there are an average of 121 deaths per year from drowning at beaches, harbours and rivers.

    Furthermore in 2010 217 people died as a result of an assault and 1,503 died as a result of a transport accident (706 car, 236 motorcycle, 227 pedestrian)

    Does that put it in perspective?

    1. Re:Shark attacks are always a media beat-up by quenda · · Score: 1

      Next time I'm diving, I will try to avoid new followers on Twitter.

      In Australia, there are an average of 1 deaths per year from Shark attacks

      Thats fine if you live in 1936 in Alice Springs, but WA has had numerous attacks in recent years. You think it is just a random data cluster?

      http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/timeline-of-shark-attacks-on-wa-beaches-20081227-75sl.html

    2. Re:Shark attacks are always a media beat-up by KingOfBLASH · · Score: 1

      And what would the rate of shark deaths be if Australia didn't already use helicopter spotters to get swimmers out of the water?

      I'd agree it's not the most pressing issue. But if it's easily preventable, why not prevent it?

    3. Re:Shark attacks are always a media beat-up by Nemyst · · Score: 1

      So basically what you're saying is that we should put sharks with lasers into cars to reduce the number of transportation accidents? I know you never mentioned lasers, but I felt like I needed to correct you there.

    4. Re:Shark attacks are always a media beat-up by quenda · · Score: 1

      More like 8 deaths in 4 years, in one state only (10% of the population, so like 20x the 1/year national figure. )
      Not nearly so bad as cars, but worse than terrorism.

    5. Re:Shark attacks are always a media beat-up by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      and birds should tweet just before they poop above us.....oh, wait

      --
      Table-ized A.I.
  5. I see it now by Bender+Unit+22 · · Score: 1

    Gt8wh1te: I found #food. Fresh #humans swimming now. #freebuffet

  6. What do the Tweets Say? by Stormy+Dragon · · Score: 4, Funny

    #candygram?

    1. Re:What do the Tweets Say? by Stormy+Dragon · · Score: 1

      I'm figuring the moderation will be a bunch of +1 funny by people older than 35 and a bunch of -1 overrated by people younger than 30.

    2. Re:What do the Tweets Say? by quenda · · Score: 1

      They say "You have one new follower."

    3. Re:What do the Tweets Say? by The+Grim+Reefer · · Score: 1

      # I-I'm only a dolphin, ma'am.

  7. Unintended consequences? by Pav · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How many times do sharks cruise beaches uneventfully? If this is meant to calm the public mind, well, lets just say this has potential to be counterproductive.

    1. Re:Unintended consequences? by Nehmo · · Score: 1

      How many times do sharks cruise beaches uneventfully? If this is meant to calm the public mind, well, lets just say this has potential to be counterproductive.

      Really. Actually, sharks swim near humans all the time.

      --
      (||) Nehmo (||)
  8. All good and well until... by Gumbercules!! · · Score: 5, Funny

    "You are now being followed by @greatwhite"

  9. The younger sharks are tweeting, by Snufu · · Score: 1

    The older sharks are using Facebook.

  10. Jaws by EnsilZah · · Score: 1

    What they should do is play the theme from Jaws on the beach PA system, changing the tempo based on the shark's distance.

  11. I'll have to remember... by pigiron · · Score: 1

    to be sure to bring my laptop with me in the water the next time I go surfing.

  12. Alert sounds by grahamtriggs · · Score: 1

    Now you just want a Twitter client where I can assign different alert sounds to accounts you follow...

  13. Tiger sharks! by CuteSteveJobs · · Score: 1

    I've seen the feed. They are all tiger sharks. Another shameful example of racial profiling.

  14. Yelp by Kentari · · Score: 1

    Next they start leaving Yelp reviews: "Did not wash feet, will not eat again.", "Food kept kicking me in the face." and "I hate food wrapped in neoprene."

  15. Buy? by antdude · · Score: 1

    Sharks buy?

    --
    Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
  16. Shark tweet by Jason+Levine · · Score: 2

    "Actually wasn't hungry. Just wanted to photobomb a selfie. Pulled a Jaws right behind her. #BestPhotobombEver"

    --
    My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
  17. natural selection by DriveDog · · Score: 1

    How long will it take for some nonhuman shark prey to evolve receptors for shark warning tweets?

  18. Re:Jaws (2.0) by Shoten · · Score: 1

    What they should do is play the theme from Jaws on the beach PA system, changing the tempo based on the shark's distance.

    Except that now it sounds different. Instead of "dum-dum," it's "oh, hai"...

    Oh, hai.

    Oh, hai.

    OH HAI OH HAI OH HAI OH HAI OH HAI...

    --

    For your security, this post has been encrypted with ROT-13, twice.
  19. Another dangerous animal. by cellocgw · · Score: 1

    As pointed out by a couple columnists a year or two ago, far more people are killed by cows than sharks. Plus it's much easier to tag all the cows than all the sharks, so let's get mooooving on this one!

    --
    https://app.box.com/WitthoftResume Code: https://github.com/cellocgw
  20. Tweeting sharks eh? by Chas · · Score: 2

    @UnsuspectingSwimmer #DunDunDunDunDunDun

    --


    Chas - The one, the only.
    THANK GOD!!!
  21. Re:Jaws (2.0) by Chas · · Score: 1

    What they should do is play the theme from Jaws on the beach PA system, changing the tempo based on the shark's distance.

    Except that now it sounds different. Instead of "dum-dum," it's "oh, hai"...

    Oh, hai.

    Oh, hai.

    OH HAI OH HAI OH HAI OH HAI OH HAI...

    Yeah. Nothing worse than an Ohio shark.

    --


    Chas - The one, the only.
    THANK GOD!!!
  22. What's the point? by Nethemas+the+Great · · Score: 1

    Sharks are solitary hunters. Unless they've manged to tag most of the sharks in the area the system is pointless window dressing.

    --
    Two of my imaginary friends reproduced once ... with negative results.