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Further implications

Popular attitudes toward shark attacks in Australia appear to be shifting with an increasing number of people believing that the shark is a valuable and vulnerable animal whose natural territory is the ocean and that people who enter the water do so at their own risk.
A comparative study published in August, 2017, examining popular attitudes toward sharks after serious shark attacks in Ballina, New South Wales, and Perth, Western Australia, revealed that only 15 percent of respondents in Ballina preferred lethal policy responses while in Perth the figure was 22 percent. The study's authors concluded, 'This first comparative study of coastal communities affected by shark bites... is the most conclusive evidence yet of a change in public opinion toward sharks.' The study further noted, 'It is clear that there is a disjuncture between public opinion and the policies implemented by the New South Wales and West Australian governments, which included lethal nets in New South Wales and shark hunts in Western Australia.' The study suggests that politicians are reacting to media reports of public opinion rather than the actuality.
The response both popular and political around the shark attacks in Cid Bay, Whitsunday Island conform to this pattern. Local tourist operators and local people appear to have objected to the drum lines that were installed after the first two shark attacks in September. Local diving instructor Tony Fontes, stated, 'The community at large is very much against the drum lines. This was clear following the back-to-back bites in September... The local politicians are calling for permanent drum lines and honestly, we're just trying to ignore them. We've moved beyond that...because people know sharks are important and that we are able to keep swimmers safe without killing them.'
The desire for alternative solutions appears to be quite general. In the Ballina-Byron Bay area there was a spate of shark attacks in 2015-6 that provoked community and political concern. Interestingly, however, the current response has not been a lethal solution. In July, 2017, it was announced that ten new Smart drum lines were to be deployed at local beaches between Brunswick Heads and Broken Head.
Smart drum lines alert operators to an animal caught on the line. The unit then sends an alert via phone, email and text to researchers with the location and the shark is tagged, relocated and released.
The Parliamentary Secretary for Northern New South Wales, Ben Franklin, stated, 'The New South Wales Liberal & Nationals Government is committed to protecting beachgoers across New South Wales and SMART drum lines are proving to be one of the most effective measures.
The New South Wales Government's Shark Management Strategy is a science driven, innovative project designed to balance the need between shark bite mitigation and the protection of marine species.'
Local tourism operators in the Whitsundays are showing a similar concern to develop non-lethal means of controlling sharks and protecting swimmers.
On November24, 2018, The Courier Mail reported that a Whitsunday bareboat charter company has equipped each of its 40 boats with shark deterrent devices in the wake of recent shark attacks in Cid Harbour. The devices can be worn on a swimmer's ankle or attached to a boat ladder, giving a four metre by six metre protection zone for anyone within that area.
Since May 2017, the Western Australian Government has offered a $200 rebate for surfers and divers who buy an approved shark deterrent device, including the model being used in the Whitsundays and another device. The Western Australian government said they were the only devices independently tested and scientifically demonstrated to reduce significantly the risk of shark attack.
The need for further research, both in terms of effective shark control measures and shark repellents has been stressed by shark experts and recognised by governments. One of the areas where research is needed is in understanding shark behaviour and migration patterns. The apparent paradox of local fishermen in the Whitsundays claiming that shark numbers are increasing while shark experts claim their overall numbers are in dramatic decline would appear to be explained by local variation, that is, shark numbers in some areas may have grown, despite the fact that total shark numbers have fallen steeply. Effective research is needed to determine these local variations and what causes them so that humans using these waters can be adequately warned.