New light technology promises to reduce shark attacks on surfers
Reports of shark attacks on surfers appear in the media quite regularly. Researchers have decided to address the issue. Scientists from Macquarie University in New South Wales have developed a simple but effective way to deter these predators.
Great white sharks are the species responsible for most fatal shark bites. Laura Ryan, a researcher from Macquarie University in New South Wales, quoted by the BBC, points out that these predators often attack because they mistake the silhouette of a surfer for that of a seal.
This is confirmed by statistics indicating that surfers and people engaging in other board-based water sports are the most frequently attacked. As noted by the BBC, last year alone, there were 69 unprovoked shark bites, most of them in the USA, Australia, and South Africa. 10 of those attacked died.
Australian scientists investigated whether distorting the silhouette would deter sharks from attacking. To this end, they conducted a series of experiments in Mossel Bay off the coast of South Africa, where great white sharks regularly appear. As the researchers admitted, they were inspired by species that use bioluminescence.
The research results are promising
The Australian study, published in the journal "Current Biology," involved testing three different intensities of LED lights attached to seal-shaped boards towed behind a boat. The test results indicate that boards with the brightest lights arranged horizontally were the least susceptible to attacks by great white sharks.
Our results reveal the importance of a dark silhouette against a lighter background in the predatory behaviour of great white sharks and that changing the silhouette could form the basis of a new non-invasive shark deterrence technology to protect human life - the scientists, quoted by the BBC, point out.
Scientists are now building prototype lighting strips to test on surfboards and kayaks.
