Drones spot sharks 73 times in two days off Sydney beaches

“FAIRWEATHER SURFERS”

School groups had cancelled surf lessons after a child was killed by a shark in Sydney Harbour in January, and a woman was mauled at popular Coogee Beach last month.

“It has been really hard,” he said.

“We will lose a percentage of fairweather surfers because they will feel paranoia more than the enjoyment they get from the ocean.”

Northern Beaches Mayor Sue Heins told AFP millions of visitors are attracted to Sydney’s coast each year, and the drones support safety.

“Naturally, increased surveillance will mean increased sightings,” she said.

A surfer was killed by a shark on a northern Sydney beach in September.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said on Sunday that swimmers and surfers “will have to get used to” leaving the water as the world’s biggest drone surveillance program ramps up.

“It is almost certain that sharks have always been present,” said shark expert Daryl McPhee, an associate professor of environmental science at Bond University, who expects the high number of beach closures to continue for several weeks.

White sharks roam large distances but may “take up residence” where prey is abundant, he said, noting an increase in humpback whale populations and salmon.

“The sightings over the last couple of days have increased due to the increased drone spotting effort which is occurring at a time when conditions are right for coastal food resources of white sharks to be abundant.”

There have been nearly 1,300 shark incidents around Australia since 1791, of which more than 260 resulted in death, according to a database of shark encounters with humans.