SYDNEY, June 23 (Xinhua) -- A high tech, digital shark management strategy recently implemented off Australia's east coast has tagged its 100th great white shark, the New South Wales State (NSW) government announced Friday.
The 16 million-Australian dollar (12.07 million U.S. dollars), satellite tracking system was developed in 2015 by the NSW Department of Primary Industries, in order to deal with the 14 shark attacks that occurred in the state that year.
Using baited drumlines, the management strategy acts as a barrier to protect surfers and beach-goers from sharks that approach the shoreline.
When a shark is caught, the drumline will automatically send phone, email and text alerts to a team of researchers working on the project, then they tag, relocate and release the shark.
"NSW is leading the world - we are the only government using SMART drumlines to catch and tag white sharks," NSW Minister for Primary Industries, Niall Blair said in a statement obtained by Xinhua.
"The tagging program provides vital information about sharks and their movements along the NSW coastline and beyond - some sharks have been detected as far away as New Zealand."
In addition to the 100 white sharks, the program is also tracking 33 bull and two tiger sharks.
"This is a fantastic achievement by our dedicated shark scientists and contractors who have been on the water day in and day out trialling these methods to make sure beachgoers are as safe as possible," Blair said.
