Mitigation debate looms as WA shark attack deaths hit six-year high

The death of a swimmer at a Perth beach yesterday was the 24th fatal shark attack in Western Australia in 26 years and the third this year.

His death is likely to revive the often-heated debate about how to keep beachgoers safe in the state, with some people advocating catch-and-kill policies while others push for more shark nets.

It has been a decade since there have been this many shark attack deaths in the Perth metro area.

Scientists say warmer oceans are affecting the migratory patterns of sharks, which may be contributing to a rise in attacks.

With a hotter-than-average summer forecast, the latest attack is likely to again thrust the state's shark mitigation policies into the spotlight.

What happened?

The man who died was swimming with a friend on Friday morning at Sorrento Beach in Perth's northern suburbs, according to witnesses. 

They later reported seeing a traumatised man emerge from the water without his companion.

Witness Jacqui Rapaic described seeing blood in the water near the shoreline and a shark nearby.

"My friend said, 'Jacq, I think there's been a shark attack', and I looked out to the ocean, and I could see a pool of blood," she said.

Emergency services, including a police helicopter, conducted an extensive search of the area.

On Friday afternoon, police confirmed the swimmer "died as a result of the attack".

The victim has yet to be named.

Latest in series of shark attacks

Friday's fatality comes days after 56-year-old firefighter Mel Ismail was injured in a shark attack at a Geraldton beach, about 400 kilometres north.

Earlier this year Steven Mattaboni died after a shark attack off Rottnest Island and another spearfisher, Daniel Turpin, was killed near Albany a few weeks later.

In 2023, 16-year-old Stella Berry became the first person to be killed by a shark in Perth's Swan River in more than a century.

The teenager was attacked while swimming in the river near the Fremantle Traffic Bridge, prompting the state government to expand its shark tagging program.

The last time three people died in shark attacks in WA in a single year was 2020, when two people were killed off Esperance, and another person off Cable Beach in Broome.

It has also been 10 years since there have been as many shark attack deaths in Perth.

In 2016, two people were killed within a week of each other: surfer Ben Gerring died in hospital after losing his leg in Mandurah, and nursing lecturer Doreen Collyer was killed by a suspected 5-metre shark off Mindarie.

What mitigation methods are in place?

In conjunction with acoustic receivers, sharks are tagged in WA to track their movements and alert the public.

In recent years, nets have been introduced at several beaches in Perth and the regions, including Cottesloe, Coogee, Busselton, Albany, Esperance and Dunsborough.

But at least one of these barriers was permanently removed in 2020 — the one at Sorrento Beach where the swimmer was attacked on Friday.

Weekend surf lifesaving patrols, including from the air, resumed last week at Perth beaches, but these will not become daily until September 26.

Other strategies include an app for shark notifications, warning sirens, and personal deterrents.

As shark attacks increase, some have called for protection protocols including selective culls and the reintroduction of catch-and-release drum lines to be considered.

New South Wales and Queensland use drum lines as part of their shark mitigation strategies.

In 2014, then Premier Colin Barnett introduced a controversial trial of baited drum lines, which resulted in 68 sharks being caught and then shot. None of them were great whites.

The 13-week trial prompted stiff opposition from the community and marine scientists.

The Environmental Protection Agency recommended abolishing the strategy because of “uncertainty” about its impacts on the shark population.

The policy has not been revisited since.

Premier Roger Cook has rejected calls to bring back culls and drum lines, with Fisheries Minister Jackie Jarvis recently saying WA has "one of the most comprehensive shark hazard mitigation strategies in the country".