Downloads of the NSW SharkSmart app have surged following the fatal shark attack on surfer Mercury Psillakis at Dee Why Beach last month, as beachgoers grow more cautious about entering the water.
According to figures from the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), downloads jumped from around 30-40 per day to 308 on September 6, the day Psillakis was killed by a white shark.
Between September 8 and 25, total downloads rose by more than 8,400, reaching 334,437 overall.
The SharkSmart app allows users to track more than 2,500 tagged white, tiger and bull sharks along the NSW coast through the government’s SMART drum line program, which provides real-time alerts when tagged sharks approach popular beaches.
The attack that claimed Psillakis’ life has also renewed focus on shark activity in NSW, with tiger shark detections up 53 per cent compared to last year, a rise scientists link to increased flooding washing food sources into the ocean.
Principal research scientist Dr Paul Butcher said recent environmental conditions had created “ideal feeding opportunities” for tiger sharks, calling them “opportunistic animals” that eat almost anything in the water.
The state government has since paused plans to scale back shark nets this summer and is supporting research into bite-resistant wetsuits to improve personal safety for surfers and swimmers.
Psillakis, remembered by friends as a passionate waterman and talented surfer, was attacked while surfing off Dee Why on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, the first fatal shark attack in the area in decades.
Source: ABC.
