Keeping Sharks at Bay Using Technology is Cheaper than Exclusion Nets

Maintaining technology to keep sharks at bay is three times cheaper than it would be to deploy shark exclusion nets and global solutions are needed urgently.

This is according to shark specialist and co-inventor, Dr Sara Andreotti, COO of SharkSafe Barrier Pty, a start-up spin-off company of Stellenbosch University. She reported this week on the outcome of two years of testing in Réunion’s bay of St Paul.

The SharkSafe BarrierTM technology, originally developed in South Africa, bio-mimics a thick forest of kelp. Combined with shark-repellent magnets to further deter sharks, the technology has been undergoing rigorous testing in South Africa and The Bahamas since 2012.

The results of these tests are published in various peer reviewed scientific journals.