Twice as effective as nets: shark-spotting drones to become ‘permanent fixture’ on Queensland beaches | Sharks

Queensland will deploy shark-spotting drones to more beaches, after a major study found drones detected more than double the number of sharks caught in adjacent nets.

But while drones would become a “permanent fixture” of the state’s shark control operations, the Department of Primary Industries said Queensland would continue to rely on “traditional measures like nets and drumlines”, despite evidence of their deadly impact on dolphins, whales, turtles and dugongs.

Surf Life Saving Queensland chief remote pilot Rob Adsett said the drones were a “really good surveillance tool” which gave lifeguards a better view of everything happening on the beach. Drones have been used to collect data on beach conditions and manage risks associated with sharks, with the added benefit of aiding search and rescue efforts.

Drone operations run alongside rescue services, he said. “So we’ll start our patrols early in the day, when the flags are up. And we’ll fly until lunchtime, and that’s mainly due to weather conditions.”

The ability to see and track sharks – and suspected sharks – in real time meant rescuers could manage safety risks without being “overly cautious”, Adsett said.

“Previously, if a shark was reported, we would close the beach for an hour and then find out there was no shark at all.”

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Drones are an effective shark control measure that offers additional safety benefits over anti-shark nets, according to the Queensland Government report, which monitored 10 beaches over four years.

When large sharks were spotted by a drone and deemed to pose a risk to the public, people could be evacuated from the water. Drones also provide additional benefits, according to the report, helping rescue swimmers from rip currents and searching for missing people.

The shark nets had a significantly higher environmental impact, with 123 non-target animals (not including non-target sharks) caught in the nets on 10 beaches during the trial period.

The bycatch, as it is called, included 13 dolphins, eight whales, 45 turtles, two dugongs, dozens of rays and other fish, including many species protected by federal environmental laws. About half were dead by the time they were recovered.

In May, the Crisafulli government announced it would expand the use of shark nets, a stance it has maintained despite the entanglement of more than a dozen whales in recent months. The state now deploys 27 nets and 383 drum lines designed to capture and kill seven target species of sharks.

The trial, which ran from 2020 to 2024, was part of the State Government’s commitment to research to compare non-lethal alternatives to traditional shark control measures.

During the trial, 676 sharks were observed by drones, including 190 for sharks over 2 meters, which was significantly higher than those caught in adjacent Shark Control Program gear – 284 and 133, respectively.

“Drones provide a high-definition aerial view of a vast expanse of ocean, enabling shark detection in real time, while having negligible impact on the environment and non-target species,” the report states.

Professor Robert Harcourt, a marine ecologist at Macquarie University, said the results were “not surprising” and similar to those found in New South Wales.

“If you have clear water and sandy beaches, drones are very effective at detecting sharks and other animals.”

“By using drones, you’re not stopping anything from coming in, but you can see what’s there and tell people to get out of the water, which means no one gets hurt.

“The nets are there, not to protect the beach, but to fish it,” he explained.

Harcourt said it was good for Queensland to trial drones as a shark management tool, and it would be even better if the state considered moving to “smart drumlines” – where animals were caught, tagged and released – instead of lethal nets.

Professor Charlie Huveneers, who leads the Southern Shark Ecology Group at Flinders University, said while there was “no silver bullet” that could eliminate all risk of shark bites, the study added to the scientific literature reaffirms that drones should be part of the measurement toolbox.

“Drones are not lethal to targeted or incidentally captured species and can detect sharks, allowing people to leave the water, but are not suitable in all conditions (e.g. strong wind, rain, low visibility on the water).”

A Department for Primary Industries spokesperson said the use of shark-spotting drones would be expanded from 10 to 20 beaches as part of the 2025 to 2029 Shark Management Plan, “becoming a permanent part of the shark control program’s operations, complementing traditional measures such as nets and drum lines”.

“While drones are a good augmentation to the program, they cannot replace core program equipment such as drum lines and nets at this time,” the spokesperson said.

Australian research published last year on 196 unprovoked shark incidents found no difference in unprovoked interactions between humans and sharks on net and non-net beaches since the 2000s.