THIS is the species researchers want to keep you away from — a 2.4m great white shark tagged and under surveillance.
With enough power to rip off a limb, this juvenile female shark is the first great white to be satellite tagged in Queensland waters under a State Government project to protect swimmers. Named Rachael, the shark was fitted with a satellite tag after being caught on a drumline at Narrow Neck on the Gold Coast on June 17. Since being tagged, it has travelled 350km and was last pinpointed at Evans Head in NSW on June 26. But it will be back. Scientist Johnathan Werry said the tags were fitted to the shark’s dorsal fins. The tags send a series of pings under water, allowing the predators to be tracked. Each ping is unique to the shark.
“After removing (Rachael) from the drumline, we used a specifically designed harness to tag the shark and then move it offshore before releasing her,” Dr Werry said. Soon Queenslanders will be able to log on to a website and track Rachael’s movements.
Fisheries Minister Craig Wallace said 45 sharks up to 4m had been tagged since the Queensland Large Shark Tagging Program started in 2009. “Bather safety is our No.1 priority in Queensland and this project will improve our knowledge of shark movements in inshore waters,” Mr Wallace told The Sunday Mail.
“Three of our most dangerous shark species – bull, tigers and whites – are being tagged to monitor their activity in and around the coastal region.” Under the plan, 150 sharks will be tracked by acoustic listening stations and satellites. The data will determine how sharks interact with baited drumlines and if the location of equipment should be moved.
In 2006, Sarah Whiley died after an unknown species of shark attacked the 21-year-old off Amity Point, North Stradbroke Island. It was thought that up to three bull sharks attacked her. Last year a 60-year-old woman suffered severe lacerations and blood loss when she was bitten by an unknown species of shark in Whitsundays.
Experts say sharks more than 2m could cause serious injury or death to humans.
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