Sharks present a clear danger to all those who wish to
enjoy the beach. Those who view all sharks as the relentless eating machines
presented in Jaws, but some also look at sharks as an important part of the
aquatic ecosystem. Luckily, there are people in the world attempting to develop
ways to prevent shark attacks without simply killing all the sharks that
venture near the shore.
These men who try to protect both man and nature possess
a special role in today’s world as the number of shark attacks seem to be
rising. Sharkattackdata.com presents statistics that state shark attacks have been
consistently increasing over the years. According to an article on usatoday.com,
the U.S. has already surpassed half the average unprovoked shark attacks
normally seen in a year due to increases in activity within water and salt
water due to droughts.
This
increase of shark activity has led companies to start producing technologies which
help coastal areas detect and deter sharks. One such invention comes from an
Australian company named Optus. They have created the Clever Buoy which uses
sonar in a way similar to how face recognition software works. The sonar
detects a body in the water and deliberates whether or not that body is a
shark. If the buoy decides this body is a shark, a message is sent to nearby
lifeguards.
The
Clever Buoy provides a more environmentally friendly alternative to other shark
detection methods such as tagging. As where tagging consists of placing a piece
of metal into the shark and manually tracking the shark, the Clever Buoy allows
detection without interference or manual labor. This buoy could also work in
tandem with a new shark deterrent system called Shark Shield.
The
Shark Shield functions by sending out an electrical field to deter oncoming
sharks by vibrating the gel-sacs within their snouts. The device has been
tested and works effectively so far. According to Financialtimes.com, the
company has already made deals to integrate their product into surf equipment,
so the idea that they would work with Optus to make their own technology more
enticing isn’t out of the question. The Clever Buoy could send a signal to the
Shark Shields about nearby sharks, causing the deterrent field to start early.
The Clever Buoy presents an interesting future in beach
safety, but also comes with its fair share of issues. The sonar can only travel
so far in water. Some sharks may possibly make it to the shore without being
detected. The distance of the buoy from the shore also presents issues. If the
buoy is too far out, lifeguards may evacuate the beach because a shark with no
intention of moving towards the shore swam by the buoy, and if the buoy is
moved close to the shore, the lifeguards may not have enough time to evacuate
the beach.
The Clever Buoy does provide environmentally friendly way
of keeping man safe, but has yet to truly be tested. The true outcomes may
drastically differ from expectations.
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It really seems like both the amount of shark attacks, and the number of shark protection activists are increasing. The CleverBuoy seems like it could really help please both parties. Unfortunately, the CleverBuoy and Shark Shield may also be used to hurt sharks. Hunting sharks is still widely popular and although these devices can be used to prevent attacks, they can potentially make hunting sharks significantly easier. If the CleverBuoy can be integrated into surf equipment, it can most likely be equipped to boats. This could allow boats to find sharks and the SharkShield may be used to force sharks into certain locations so they could be easily caught. I think that these devices were created with good intention, however, there may also be some negatives that could be prevented by strict control on who can purchase them.
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