Latest news with #AustralianShark-IncidentDatabase
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Perth Now
Horror moment boy, 9, attacked by shark
A nine-year-old boy has recalled the horror moment his board was smashed to pieces after he was attacked by a shark on the NSW south coast. Bowie Daly was surfing along Tathra Beach, a seaside area on the Sapphire Coast in southern NSW, on Thursday when he suddenly felt a 'tug' at the back of his surfboard. Speaking to the ABC, the nine-year-old said he 'suddenly started drowning' but got back up onto the board. 'When I came back up, I saw a giant back and I realised it was a shark and then I started screaming for help,' he said. Bowie Daly was surfing at Tathra Beach on Thursday when a shark grabbed his surfboard. ABC Credit: ABC The board was smashed to pieces but amazingly, Bowie only escaped with a scratch and a puncture to his wetsuit. ABC Credit: ABC While Bowie escaped virtually unscathed – suffering only a scratch and puncture to his wetsuit – the shark destroyed his beloved surfboard. His father Simon explained to the ABC his son could have 'lost his whole leg' if he was on the board properly. 'We got really lucky,' he said. Mr Daly said it was his 'worst nightmare' realising his son had been attacked, before paddling out with another group of surfers to help his son. 'Those seconds and that 20m of paddling was definitely the most intense of my life,' he said. A NSW Ambulance spokesman confirmed paramedics had been called over the incident but reported no injuries. The attack occurred at Tathra Beach on the NSW south coast. Supplied / Google Maps Credit: Supplied According to the Australian Shark-Incident Database (ASID), there has been an average of 20 incidents in which people have been injured by sharks. On average, there were 2.8 fatalities each year and seven incidents in which the person was uninjured. Three fatal shark attacks have been recorded so far in 2025 – one each in Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. In January, 28-year-old Lance Appleby disappeared while surfing off Granites Beach, south of Streaky Bay in SA, after being attacked by a shark. The shark caused damage to Bowie's wetsuit. ABC Credit: ABC His body has not been recovered and subsequent searches by authorities have been called off. A month later, Charlize Zmuda, 17, died after being bitten by a shark while swimming at Bribie Island's Woorim Beach. In March, 37-year-old Steven Payne was surfing at Wharton Beach, about 780km southeast of Perth, when he was attacked by a shark. His body also could not be recovered. Rising ocean temperatures due to climate change, in addition to a greater number of people swimming in the ocean, have been attributed to the steadily-rising number of attacks over the last 10 years. Bowie's father Simon Daly said the pair 'got really lucky'. ABC Credit: ABC Bond University Associate Professor and shark researcher Dr Daryl McPhee said rising water temperatures rise along the coast, specifically around the Greater Sydney region, meant bull sharks were expanding their search for food – moving further south of Sydney and down the coast. She said an increase in prey in the area – such as humpback whales – had driven the increase of shark sightings and attacks.
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
Jason uses a drone to look for sharks at Bondi. Here's what he sees
Backing up Iggleden's observation that sharks are not more plentiful, just more likely to be seen, is the data in the Australian Shark-Incident Database, maintained by Taronga Zoo. The number of shark encounters where a person is injured (ranging from minor lacerations to a small number of deaths) was an average of 6.2 a year in NSW over the past five years, compared with 6.6 a decade earlier. The state's population increased by 3 million people in that time. The NSW government recently asked Waverley Council, Northern Beaches Council and Central Coast Council to nominate a beach to trial removing shark nets this summer. Tamarama does not have a net, so for Waverley Council, this would mean either Bondi or Bronte, while the other two councils have many beaches to choose from. The councils must respond by August 22. A Central Coast Council spokesperson said it would work with the state government and Surf Life Saving NSW to decide which beach should trial the shark net removal. Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh has written to NSW Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty to request more information about the other shark mitigation measures such as SMART drum lines and more drones the state plans to provide. The councils have long lobbied for the removal of shark nets because of growing evidence that they are ineffective and indiscriminately kill marine life, but it is ultimately a decision for the state government. Earlier this year the NSW government started consultation with councils about winding back shark nets, and also removed them for winter a month earlier than usual because of evidence about turtle bycatch. Iggleden said most people did not realise that the mesh shark nets installed at 51 NSW beaches each summer are just 150 metres long and sharks swim over, under and around them. He had been filming the sharks for some time, giving them names such as Norman and Nelly when he first noticed the nets. 'I remember clearly the day of the dead dolphin – I love dolphins, they're so beautiful, and I saw a dead dolphin [caught in the net at Bondi], and it really tore at my heart,' Iggleden said. 'I learned more about them [the nets] and started really becoming passionate about how we need to get rid of these barbaric systems.' Associate Professor of Public Policy Dr Christopher Pepin-Neff, from the University of Sydney, said shark nets caught a lot of fish, attracting sharks looking for an easy meal. 'It may be that beaches with shark nets are the least safe, not the most safe,' Pepin-Neff said. Loading From 2014-15 to 2023-24 there were 3825 animals caught in mesh nets across Greater Sydney, NSW Department of Primary Industries figures show. Of those, only 315 were target sharks and 3510 were non-target animals such as grey nurse sharks, dolphins, rays and turtles. Less than half survived. From 2022-23 to 2023-24 there were 915 target sharks caught by SMART drum lines and 756 non-target animals, but the vast majority were released alive.
Sydney Morning Herald
6 days ago
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘It tore at my heart': How Jason found a new career as a shark spotter
Backing up Iggledon's observation that sharks are not more plentiful, just more likely to be seen, is the data in the Australian Shark-Incident Database, maintained by Taronga Zoo. The number of shark encounters where a person is injured (ranging from minor lacerations to a small number of deaths) was an average of 6.2 a year in NSW over the past five years, compared with 6.6 a decade earlier. The state's population increased by 3 million people in that time. The NSW government recently asked Waverley Council, Northern Beaches Council and Central Coast Council to nominate a beach to trial removing shark nets this summer. Tamarama does not have a net, so for Waverley Council, this would mean either Bondi or Bronte, while the other two councils have many beaches to choose from. The councils must respond by August 22. A Central Coast Council spokesperson said it would work with the state government and Surf Life Saving NSW to decide which beach should trial the shark net removal. Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh has written to NSW Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty to request more information about the other shark mitigation measures such as SMART drum lines and more drones the state plans to provide. The councils have long lobbied for the removal of shark nets because of growing evidence that they are ineffective and indiscriminately kill marine life, but it is ultimately a decision for the state government. Earlier this year the NSW government started consultation with councils about winding back shark nets, and also removed them for winter a month earlier than usual because of evidence about turtle bycatch. Iggledon said most people did not realise that the mesh shark nets installed at 51 NSW beaches each summer are just 150 metres long and sharks swim over, under and around them. He had been filming the sharks for some time, giving them names such as Norman and Nelly when he first noticed the nets. 'I remember clearly the day of the dead dolphin [caught in the net at Bondi],' Iggledon said. 'I love dolphins, they're so beautiful, and I saw a dead dolphin, and it really tore at my heart. I learned more about them [the nets] and started really becoming passionate about how we need to get rid of these barbaric systems.' Loading Associate Professor of Public Policy Dr Christopher Pepin-Neff, from the University of Sydney, said shark nets caught a lot of fish, attracting sharks looking for an easy meal. 'It may be that beaches with shark nets are the least safe, not the most safe,' Pepin-Neff said. From 2014-15 to 2023-24 there were 3825 animals caught in mesh nets across Greater Sydney, NSW Department of Primary Industries figures show. Of those, only 315 were target sharks and 3510 were non-target animals. Less than half survived. Meanwhile, from 2022-23 to 2023-24 there were 915 target sharks caught by SMART drum lines and 756 non-target animals, but the vast majority survived and were released alive.
The Age
6 days ago
- General
- The Age
‘It tore at my heart': How Jason found a new career as a shark spotter
Backing up Iggledon's observation that sharks are not more plentiful, just more likely to be seen, is the data in the Australian Shark-Incident Database, maintained by Taronga Zoo. The number of shark encounters where a person is injured (ranging from minor lacerations to a small number of deaths) was an average of 6.2 a year in NSW over the past five years, compared with 6.6 a decade earlier. The state's population increased by 3 million people in that time. The NSW government recently asked Waverley Council, Northern Beaches Council and Central Coast Council to nominate a beach to trial removing shark nets this summer. Tamarama does not have a net, so for Waverley Council, this would mean either Bondi or Bronte, while the other two councils have many beaches to choose from. The councils must respond by August 22. A Central Coast Council spokesperson said it would work with the state government and Surf Life Saving NSW to decide which beach should trial the shark net removal. Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh has written to NSW Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty to request more information about the other shark mitigation measures such as SMART drum lines and more drones the state plans to provide. The councils have long lobbied for the removal of shark nets because of growing evidence that they are ineffective and indiscriminately kill marine life, but it is ultimately a decision for the state government. Earlier this year the NSW government started consultation with councils about winding back shark nets, and also removed them for winter a month earlier than usual because of evidence about turtle bycatch. Iggledon said most people did not realise that the mesh shark nets installed at 51 NSW beaches each summer are just 150 metres long and sharks swim over, under and around them. He had been filming the sharks for some time, giving them names such as Norman and Nelly when he first noticed the nets. 'I remember clearly the day of the dead dolphin [caught in the net at Bondi],' Iggledon said. 'I love dolphins, they're so beautiful, and I saw a dead dolphin, and it really tore at my heart. I learned more about them [the nets] and started really becoming passionate about how we need to get rid of these barbaric systems.' Loading Associate Professor of Public Policy Dr Christopher Pepin-Neff, from the University of Sydney, said shark nets caught a lot of fish, attracting sharks looking for an easy meal. 'It may be that beaches with shark nets are the least safe, not the most safe,' Pepin-Neff said. From 2014-15 to 2023-24 there were 3825 animals caught in mesh nets across Greater Sydney, NSW Department of Primary Industries figures show. Of those, only 315 were target sharks and 3510 were non-target animals. Less than half survived. Meanwhile, from 2022-23 to 2023-24 there were 915 target sharks caught by SMART drum lines and 756 non-target animals, but the vast majority survived and were released alive.
