Do you think these are competing solutions or do you think they will need to work in conjunction with one another. Personally I think the buoys would be better as they will easily work under all conditions (eg. high winds, poor visibility, poor light). I am looking forward to the next quarterly... still on the sidelines Government confirms drones will look for sharks off WA beaches this summer Shark greets Mandurah fishers
Shark sightings in WA waters have tripled since the same time last year, as these Mandurah anglers can attest to. Source: Facebook.
Running from November 2016 to January 2017, Mr Francis said trialling the new technology "made sense".
"The trial will assess whether this 'eye in the sky' technology can add value to the beach surveillance currently provided by helicopter and beach patrols," he said.
The drones will stream live pictures back to a SLSWA operator and aid Lifesavers in spotting other dangers along the coast - including rips and schools of fish that may attract sharks.
"SLSWA will trial the technology to test its capability against varying environmental factors, such as weather conditions and beach geography," Mr Francis said.
Surf Live Savings services manager Peter Scott said the organisation would be training 10 Lifesavers in the technology.
"It's part of a broader strategy with shark surveillance- as Lifesavers, the main thing we do is surveillance, and whether that's from the beach, from the tower or a helicopter, the drone system just adds another layer to that," he said.
The WA government has confirmed drones will aid in shark surveillance this summer. Photo: Supplied
The move comes following plans by Surf Life Saving New South Wales to test drones along the north coast of the state this summer.
The state government says future funding for the drone surveillance will be dependent on the results from the three-month trial.
There have been 23 shark-related deaths in WA in the past 100 years, with 14 fatalities since 2000.
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