New technology to protect marine wildlife

New technology is being trialled to improve the reliability of the acoustic pingers protecting migrating whales off the Queensland coast.

Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries Leanne Donaldson said the Palaszczuk Government wanted to ensure a safe passage for the thousands of whales expected to swim up the coast in the coming months.

“Pingers have been used successfully in recent years to keep whales away from shark nets,” the Minister said.

“Last year only one whale was entangled in shark netting and it was successfully released without harm.

 “That’s a great outcome when you consider approximately 24,000 whales migrated up and back in 2015.

 “The pingers play a big part in ensuring that whales pass through Queensland waters without incident and we are now trialling a data logging buoy to monitor the pingers and make sure they are always working.

 “This new technology will ensure the effectiveness of pingers used in the program to warn whales of the nets and prevent entanglements.

“We are committed to the Shark Control Program and the protection it affords all year round to swimmers and surfers off popular Queensland beaches.

 “We are also keen to use the latest technology to reduce accidental capture of marine animals.”

 The data-logging buoy has been developed in partnership with James Cook University and CoastalComs thanks to grant funding through the Queensland Government Advance Queensland Innovation Partnerships program.

 Jeff Krause, who manages the Shark Control Program for Fisheries Queensland, said a buoy fitted with the technology was now in the ocean off Kirra Beach on the Gold Coast to identify any malfunctions.

 “The data buoy is transmitting information on the pingers to CoastalComs so any defects can be picked up immediately so the faulty pingers can be replaced,” he said.

“Further use of the data-logging buoy may include the ability to track nets that become loose due to heavy weather conditions.

“If people see an entangled animal, it is important they report it immediately to the Sharkwatch Hotline on 1800 806 891.

“The sooner we get the report, the quicker we can deploy our Marine Animal Release Teams to release the animal.”

For more information on the shark control program visit www.fisheries.qld.gov.au, call 13 25 23.

Media 0448 994 172