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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."

11 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 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.

    2. 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

    3. 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?
  2. 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/

  3. 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?

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

    #candygram?

  5. 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.

  6. All good and well until... by Gumbercules!! · · Score: 5, Funny

    "You are now being followed by @greatwhite"

  7. 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.
  8. Tweeting sharks eh? by Chas · · Score: 2

    @UnsuspectingSwimmer #DunDunDunDunDunDun

    --


    Chas - The one, the only.
    THANK GOD!!!