Rodney Stevens
Yamba has earned the unenviable reputation as the state’s hotspot for sharks after the NSW Department of Primary Industries shark tagging program recorded 17,501 detections of Great White, Tiger, and Bull Sharks off local beaches last year.
Estimated to be the largest shark tagging program in the world, the NSW Government program saw a total of 62,835 shark detections recorded in 2023, with Yamba leading the way with about 10,000 more shark detections than beaches in the Old Bar, Forster and Hawks Nest area which recorded 7,699 detections, and Sussex Inlet and Mollymook on the south coast that recorded 7,676 “pings”.
The figures complied by the NSW DPI are based on detections by a network of 37 real-time tagged shark listening stations located along the NSW coast at popular beaches from Tweed Heads to Merimbula.
Externally fin-mounted satellite tags and surgically inserted acoustic tags are fitted by DPI scientists to white and tiger sharks, while externally fitted satellite tags are attached at the base of the dorsal and internal acoustic tags to bull sharks.
The tags enable scientists to register the natural movements of the sharks to determine the environmental and biological factors affecting their distribution in coastal and international waters.
When a shark swims within about 500 metres of one of the listening stations, an instant alert is sent to the free SharkSmart app, which can be downloaded for both Apple and Android operating systems.
The Clarence Valley has one recorded fatal shark attack, which occurred on July 11, 2020, when a teenage boy was bitten on the upper left thigh by what was believed to be a Great White Shark at Wooli Beach.
Compared to other north coast beaches, Yamba clearly had the most shark detections, with Evans head registering 3135 detections, Lennox Head 2046, Byron Bay 409, and Coffs Harbour 788.
The program found on the north coast that Great White Sharks were most active during July, triggering the most alerts, while Bull and Tiger sharks were most active during June.
NSW DPI shark programs leader Marcel Green told News Corp data being compiled from the program was revealing some mysteries about sharks including water temperature preferences and when they are most active.
“We know whites are more a daytime animal, active between 10am and 2pm with their peak time being about 11am, while bull sharks like dusk and dawn,” he said.
Mr Green said researchers are now trying to determine why younger Great White Sharks are more commonly found around NSW, while adults are more prevalent off the coast of Western Australia.
To keep up to date with shark movements locally, which includes information from 50 drones operated by Surf Life Saving NSW, download the SharkSmart app at https://www.sharksmart.nsw.gov.au/sharksmart-app