Middleton Beach shark barrier

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Yellow floats of Middleton Beach shark barrier March 2016 Albany Shark barrier.JPG
Yellow floats of Middleton Beach shark barrier March 2016
Ellen Cove from Albany Surf Life Saving Club Ellen Cove from Albany SLSC.JPG
Ellen Cove from Albany Surf Life Saving Club
Middleton Beach shark barrier floats and anchor point Middleton Beach shark barrier floats and anchor point.JPG
Middleton Beach shark barrier floats and anchor point

Middleton Beach shark barrier, also referred to as the Albany shark barrier and the Ellen Cove shark barrier, [1] is a shark barrier to prevent sharks entering the main swimming area at Ellen Cove at the southern end of Middleton Beach, a popular swimming beach in Albany in the Great Southern region of Western Australia.

A shark barrier is seabed-to-surface protective barrier that is placed around a beach to protect people from shark attacks. Often confused with shark nets, shark barriers form a fully enclosed swimming area that prevents sharks from entering. Shark barrier design has evolved from rudimentary fencing materials to netted structures held in place with buoys and anchors. Recent designs have used plastics to increase strength, versatility and to reduce the environmental damage of bycatch.

Albany, Western Australia City in Western Australia

Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, 418 km southeast of Perth, the state capital. Albany is the oldest colonial settlement in Western Australia, predating Perth and Fremantle by over two years.

Great Southern (Western Australia) region of Western Australia

The Great Southern Region is one of the nine regions of Western Australia, as defined by the Regional Development Commissions Act 1993, for the purposes of economic development. It is a section of the larger South Coast of Western Australia and neighbouring agricultural regions.

Contents

Background

There has never been a fatal shark attack at Middleton Beach but the beach is closed several times a year as a result of shark sightings. [2] In 2008 Jason Cull was attacked by a 4-metre (13 ft) great white shark just offshore from the beach. The shark bit his left leg; Cull fought it off and was rescued shortly afterward. [3]

Great white shark Species of large lamniform shark

The great white shark, also known as the great white, white shark or white pointer, is a species of large mackerel shark which can be found in the coastal surface waters of all the major oceans. The great white shark is notable for its size, with larger female individuals growing to 6.1 m (20 ft) in length and 1,905 kg (4,200 lb) in weight at maturity. However, most are smaller; males measure 3.4 to 4.0 m, and females measure 4.6 to 4.9 m on average. According to a 2014 study, the lifespan of great white sharks is estimated to be as long as 70 years or more, well above previous estimates, making it one of the longest lived cartilaginous fish currently known. According to the same study, male great white sharks take 26 years to reach sexual maturity, while the females take 33 years to be ready to produce offspring. Great white sharks can swim at speeds of over 56 km/h (35 mph), and can swim to depths of 1,200 m (3,900 ft).

The Premier of Western Australia, Colin Barnett, introduced a shark drum-line baiting program in 2014 following seven fatal shark attacks in WA in three years. The program was heavily criticized and scrapped later the same year. [4] Groups such as Sea Shepherd had called for eco-shark barriers and spotters as used in Cape Town in South Africa. [5]

Premier of Western Australia head of government in the Australian state of Western Australia

The Premier of Western Australia is the head of the executive branch of government in the Australian state of Western Australia. The Premier has similar functions in Western Australia to those performed by the Prime Minister of Australia at the national level, subject to the different Constitutions.

Colin Barnett Australian politician

Colin James Barnett is a former Australian politician who was the 29th Premier of Western Australia. He had previously served as the state's Treasurer, as well as holding various other portfolios in Western Australia's Cabinet.

Western Australian shark cull

The Western Australian shark cull is the common term for a former state government policy of capturing and killing large sharks in the vicinity of swimming beaches by use of baited drum lines. The policy was implemented in 2014 to protect human swimmers from shark attack following the deaths of seven people on the Western Australian coastline in the years 2010 to 2013. National public demonstrations opposing the policy attracted international attention to the issue. In September 2014 the seasonal setting of drum lines was abandoned following a recommendation made by the Western Australian Environment Protection Authority. From December 2014 to March 2017, the special deployment of drum lines was permitted in cases where sharks were deemed to present a serious threat to public safety. This policy allowed the government of Western Australia to kill "high-hazard" sharks it found to be a threat to humans; the policy was criticized by senator Rachel Siewart for damaging the environment. In March 2017 the use of drum lines was abandoned by the newly elected West Australian state government. In August 2018 following continual shark attacks the West Australian state government reversed their position and announced a 12 month trial of "SMART" drumlines along Western Australia's South West coast, near Gracetown.

In July 2015 Barnett announced that two beaches would receive funding to install barriers: Middleton Beach, and the Perth metropolitan Sorrento Beach. [6]

Sorrento, Western Australia Suburb of Perth, Western Australia

Sorrento is a northern coastal suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia in the local government area of the City of Joondalup. At its northwestern corner is the Hillarys Boat Harbour, built in the late 1980s.

Cost

The contract was awarded to an Australian company, Global Marine Enclosures, in December 2015 by the Albany City Council. The cost of the barrier was A$340,000, with the Government of Western Australia committing A$200,000 and the City of Albany contributing A$140,000 and A$30,000 per annum for maintenance. [2] [7] [8]

City of Albany Local government area in Western Australia

The City of Albany is a local government area in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, about 410 kilometres (255 mi) south-southeast of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. It covers an area of 4,312.3 square kilometres (1,665 sq mi), including the Greater Albany metropolitan area and the Port of Albany, as well as the surrounding agricultural district and some national parks. The City of Albany had a population of over 36,000 at the 2016 census.

Government of Western Australia state government of Western Australia

The Government of Western Australia, formally referred to as Her Majesty's Government of Western Australia, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of Western Australia. It is also commonly referred to as the WA Government or the Western Australian Government. The Government of Western Australia, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, was formed in 1890 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended from time to time. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, Western Australia has been a state of the Commonwealth of Australia, and the Constitution of Australia regulates its relationship with the Commonwealth. Under the Australian Constitution, Western Australia ceded legislative and judicial supremacy to the Commonwealth, but retained powers in all matters not in conflict with the Commonwealth.

Installation

The Aquarius barrier system used at Middleton Beach is composed of heavy duty marine ropes with a nylon plastic strut design. The vertical struts are made from solid nylon plastic that is sufficiently rigid that marine life can't become caught in it; small creatures pass through it, larger ones are blocked without being trapped. The horizontal ropes give the structure strength in the water. The barrier has a 7,300-kilogram (16,000 lb) horizontal breaking strength and has an expected lifespan of around 10 years. [9]

Nylon Family of synthetic polymers originally developed as textile fibers

Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers, based on aliphatic or semi-aromatic polyamides. Nylon is a thermoplastic silky material that can be melt-processed into fibers, films, or shapes. It is made of repeating units linked by amide links similar to the peptide bonds in proteins. Nylon polymers can be mixed with a wide variety of additives to achieve many different property variations. Nylon polymers have found significant commercial applications in fabric and fibers, in shapes, and in films.

Installation of the barrier structure was commenced and completed in March 2016. [10] The installation was delayed for a short time when sharks attacked pygmy whales just metres from the beach. One 2.5-metre (8 ft) whale had to be put down after receiving severe injuries in the attack. [11]

The barrier was slightly damaged following bad weather shortly after the installation was completed. A small tear was discovered after a storm surge of seaweed broke through a section at the shallow end of the barrier. The section was replaced, with the barrier being stabilized with mooring ropes attached to chains until the work was completed. [1] [12]

See also

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Cottesloe, Western Australia Suburb of Perth, Western Australia

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Shark net

A shark net is a submerged net placed around beaches to reduce shark attacks on swimmers. The majority of Shark nets used are Gillnets which is a wall of netting that hangs in the water and captures the targeted sharks by entanglement. The nets in Queensland, Australia, are typically 186m long, set at a depth of 6 m, have a mesh size of 500 mm and are designed to catch sharks longer than 2m in length. Shark nets are not to be confused with shark barriers.

King George Sound (Western Australia)

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Middleton Beach, Western Australia Suburb of Albany, Western Australia

Middleton Beach is a coastal suburb of Albany, Western Australia, located within the City of Albany approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) east of the city centre. The traditional owners, the Noongar peoples, know the place as Binalup meaning the place of first light since the sun rises over the waters in the morning. The main road between the city and the locality is via Middleton Road. It is home to a caravan park and numerous holiday units which provide accommodation for visitors to the Albany region.

Palm Cove, Queensland Suburb of Cairns, Queensland, Australia

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Stockton Beach is located north of the Hunter River in New South Wales, Australia. It is 32 km (20 mi) long and stretches from Stockton, to Anna Bay. Over many years Stockton Beach has been the site of numerous shipwrecks and aircraft crash sites. In World War II it was fortified against a possible attack by Imperial Japanese forces. During that time it served as a bombing and gunnery range as well as a dumping area for unused bombs by aircraft returning from training sorties. The length of the beach, its generally hard surface and numerous items of interest along the beach make it popular with four-wheel drive (4WD) enthusiasts. Four-wheel drive vehicles are permitted to drive on Stockton Beach provided the vehicles are in possession of valid permits. The beach is also popular with fishermen and several different varieties of fish may be caught.

A drum line is an unmanned aquatic trap used to lure and capture large sharks using baited hooks. They are typically deployed near popular swimming beaches with the intention of reducing the number of sharks in the vicinity and therefore the probability of shark attack. Drum lines are often used in association with shark nets, with the intent of killing sharks. However SMART drum lines can be used to move sharks, which greatly reduces shark and bycatch mortality. The use of drum lines has been successful in reducing shark attacks in the areas where they are installed. The topic of shark culling became an international controversy and sparked public demonstrations and vocal opposition, particularly from environmentalists, animal welfare advocates and ocean activists.

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Esplanade Hotel, Albany

The Esplanade Hotel was a hotel that once stood overlooking Middleton Beach in Albany, Western Australia. The hotel was demolished in January 2007 by Singaporean owners, WCP Plaza, to make way for an 81-room hotel, function centre, village square, shops and health and recreation facilities. The proposal for the new hotel was approved in 2007 by the City of Albany. The Council also supported the rezoning of several locations in Earl Street and Barry Court to allow the development of the hotel. The site remains vacant in 2015.

Ellen Cove Jetty

Ellen Cove Jetty also known as Middleton Beach Jetty is a jetty found at the southern end of Middleton Beach in King George Sound in Albany in the Great Southern region of Western Australia.

Eyre Park

The Eyre Park is a park in Middleton Beach in Albany in the Great Southern region of Western Australia.

Middleton Road is a significant arterial road in Albany, Western Australia.

There are a range of shark attack prevention techniques employed to reduce the risk of shark attack and keep people safe. They include removing sharks by various fishing methods, separating people and sharks, as well as observation, education and various technology-based solutions.

Shark culling Sanctioned killings of sharks

Shark culling is the deliberate killing of sharks by government authorities, usually in response to one or more shark attacks. The term "shark control" is often used by governments when referring to culls. Shark culling has been criticized by environmentalists, conservationists and animal welfare advocates — they say killing sharks harms the marine ecosystem and is unethical. Government officials often cite public safety as a reason for culling. The impact of culling is also minor compared to bycatch with 50 million sharks caught each year by the commercial fishing industry.

References

  1. 1 2 "Problems for the Ellen Cove Shark Barrier". RadioWest. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Albany shark barrier contract goes to Australian firm". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 16 December 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  3. Elizabeth Gosch (13 May 2008). "More sharks at Albany attack beach". The Australian . News Corporation . Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  4. "Shark strategy now right balance of caution and confidence, says WA Premier Colin Barnett". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 1 October 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  5. "Changes to shark kill orders flagged by Premier Colin Barnett". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 12 September 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  6. "Middleton Beach Shark Barrier - City of Albany" (PDF). City of Albany. 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  7. "Council gives go ahead for shark barrier at Albany's Middleton Beach". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 28 October 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  8. "Albany and Sorrento beaches to get shark enclosures". Perthnow. 20 July 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  9. "Aquarius Barrier". Global Marine Enclosures. 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  10. Talitha Wolfe (2 March 2016). "Shark barrier work under way". The West Australian . Yahoo7 . Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  11. "Shark attack halts work to install shark-proof barrier". The West Australian . Yahoo7. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  12. Talitha Wolfe (22 March 2016). "Shark barrier won't be fixed for Easter". Albany Advertiser . Yahoo7 . Retrieved 28 March 2016.

Coordinates: 35°01′30″S117°55′05″E / 35.025°S 117.918°E / -35.025; 117.918