Port Macquarie surfers call for increased drone surveillance to mitigate shark risk

Port Macquarie has a number of methods in place to monitor sharks, including the use of SMART (Shark-Management-Alert-In-Real Time) drumlines, a listening station (located at Lighthouse Beach) and drone technology (for certain times of the year).

Port Macquarie local Bill Markou has lived in town for 25 years and goes for a surf or swim everyday.

He's seen sharks in the water 'countless times'.

Mr Markou said he feels sorry for Toby Begg and his family after the 44-year-old was attacked by a shark at Lighthouse Beach on Friday, August 25.

Mr Markou is in favour of the use of a repellent device which could be dropped from a drone to scare off a shark from water users.

He said this could also give people more time to exit the water safely.

Mr Markou said the cost to implement the technology would be high, however it's nothing compared to the cost to health services for a person who has to undergo extensive treatment and rehabilitation after an attack.

A NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) spokesperson said there is no silver bullet for shark mitigation, and that is why the organisation relies on a suite of measures under the Shark Management Program.

A spokesperson from Surf Life Saving NSW said drones are used at Lighthouse Beach and Town Beach.

The drone will be operational at Lighthouse Beach from September 23 until October 8 (Spring), December 21 until January 29 (Summer) and April 13 until April 28 (Autumn). It is not operational over the Winter months.

At Town Beach the drone was operational from July 1 until July 16 (Winter). The same dates as Lighthouse Beach will apply for the other seasons.

Kenny Little (Port News surfing columnist) has been surfing for 60 years and said sharks are always in the water.

"There's always a chance [of an attack]," he said.

About five years ago a drone alerted Mr Little to the presence of a shark, which was about three metres away from him.

Mr Little would like to see increased drone usage over more days of the year.

SMART drumlines are located at a number of beaches off the Port Macquarie coastline.

Four great white sharks were caught or detected off Port Macquarie the day prior to Mr Begg's attack.

According to NSW DPI, drumline technology allows target sharks to be intercepted beyond the surf break; once caught, they are tagged and relocated one kilometre offshore.

White, Bull and Tiger sharks are species which are targeted by the technology.

Mr Markou said the bait used to catch the sharks is drawing the animals closer to shore over time.

However, NSW DPI says trials completed to date have shown that a single mullet on the hook does not attract sharks into the beach.

"DPI has set and retrieved over 30,000 sets of SMART drumlines, often resulting in no catch and bait still intact at the end of the day," the government website said.

"If the 'attractant' myth was true, then DPI would be catching sharks almost continuously, which is not the case."

A NSW DPI spokesperson said intercepting and catching sharks as they travel along the coastline and towards beaches reduces the chances of an interaction with water users.

The organisation's research shows White Sharks do not consistently exhibit a systematic movement pattern along the NSW coast.

"In general, White Sharks move northwards into NSW waters during Autumn and Winter, and south again when the warmer waters of the East Australian Current push into NSW waters in Spring and Summer," a NSW DPI spokesperson said.

Alerts of tagged sharks are sent to the community via the SharkSmart app and Twitter feeds.

Meanwhile, NSW Premier Chris Minns has said the government would not be rushed into eliminating traditional shark nets along 51 beaches between Newcastle and Wollongong.

The eight-month season begins on Friday, September 1.

Port Macquarie local and surfer Ashley Whittington said she likes the idea of shark nets but a lot of non-target species get caught in them.

When speaking about the SMART drumlines, she said it's impossible to tag all the sharks in the ocean in an effort to reduce future shark attacks.

Ms Whittington said she still feels confident to enter the surf, despite the risk of being attacked by a shark.

However, she would like to see increased usage of drone technology to provide peace of mind for water users.

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