🦈 Drones will protect surfers from sharks - and sharks from people
Drones can detect sharks long before they pose a danger to surfers and swimmers and reduce the risk of sharks becoming entangled and dying in safety nets around beaches.
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The Australian Lifeguard Service has tested drones that can detect sharks in the sea at popular beaches with cameras and infrared sensors, Hakai Magazine reports.
If a potentially dangerous shark is sighted, surfers and bathers can be warned before the shark gets close.
The hope is that the drones will be able to replace the nets used to protect Queensland's beaches, which last year alone killed over 500 sharks caught in the nets.
And it's not just sharks that get caught in the nets. In 2021, 16 turtles and ten dolphins also died in the nets. 15 humpback whales also got stuck, but the lifeguards managed to free them before they died.
In addition to warning about sharks, the drones can be used to drop life-saving equipment to people who are drowning. A danger far greater than being bitten by a shark.
Being bitten by a shark is actually extremely rare. In 2021, only 137 people in the world were bitten by sharks. In the vast majority of cases, the person who is bitten also survives. In recent decades, an average of ten people have been killed by sharks each year. For comparison, we can mention that around 1.3 million people died in traffic accidents around the world in 2021.
Linn Winge
Linn Winge
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