RESEARCH

MISSION

Sharks are key to maintaining a balanced and healthy marine ecosystem. Unfortunately, the knowledge gap on the population status and distribution of shark species is hampering the implementation of effective conservation measures and policies.

Founded by marine conservationists and scientists, the SharkSafe Barrier™ company is true to its core value of preserving the marine environment and protecting sharks and it is fully committed to assisting and endorsing established research institutions, working to collect and publish scientific data needed to improve shark conservation globally.

OVERVIEW

RESEARCH ON THE
SHARKSAFE BARRIER™

The SharkSafe Barrier™ scientific testing was developed in three phases:

01 Magnets as shark deterrents

02 Visual and magnetic barrier deterrents

03 Exclusion capability of the barrier

All the phases of this study demonstrated that the SharkSafe Barrier™ successfully manipulated the swimming patterns of all interacting sharks and were published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

We deployed prototypes in South Africa and The Bahamas, attracted the sharks with chum to motivate them to go through it and observed that none of them (84 white sharks and 41 bull sharks) swam through the barrier. By installing the SharkSafe Barrier™ around a beach, beachgoers will be protected and the marine life will not be harmed.

With the exclusion tests in South Africa and The Bahamas we could prove that SharkSafe Barrier™ can effectively keep sharks away from a food source. This was the last step of the scientific tests to prove that SharkSafe Barrier™ can effectively protect a swimming area, by keeping sharks separated from people.

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PUBLISHED WORK

SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS

The SharkSafe Barrier™ is the only eco-friendly alternative to anti-shark nets that has been scientifically tested. The different tests spanning from 2011 to 2016 have been published in the following peer reviewed articles:

Testing the exclusion capabilities and durability of the SharkSafe Barrier™ to determine its viability as an eco-friendly alternative

VIEW PUBLICATION

The use of permanent magnets to reduce elasmobranch encounter with a simulated beach net. 1. The bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas)

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The use of permanent magnets to reduce elasmobranch encounter with a simulated beach net. 2. The great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias)

VIEW PUBLICATION

Effects of the SharkSafe Barrier™ on white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) behavior and its implications for future conservation technologies

VIEW PUBLICATION

Bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) exclusion properties of the SharkSafe Barrier™ and behavioral validation using the ARIS technology

VIEW PUBLICATION

UPCOMING

FUTURE PROJECTS

  • Environmental impact studies aimed at improving the design of the permanent anchorage system, for enhancing biomass growth.
  • Independent study in collaboration with the Reunion Shark Security Centre on the exclusion of bull sharks in New Caledonia.
  • Engineering research to adapt the technology to be installed on more coastlines and sea substrates.

FOUNDER PUBLICATIONS

RESEARCH ON SHARK POPULATION STATUS AND ECOLOGY

The founders of SharkSafe Barrier™ Pty have been involved in shark research for more than a decade. Below are some of the publications (full list available on request).

2020

ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION

Effective number of white shark (Carcharodon carcharias, Linnaeus) breeders is stable over four successive years in the population adjacent to eastern Australia and New Zealand.

Davenport, D., Butcher, P., Andreotti, S., Matthee, C., Jones, A., & Ovenden, J.

VIEW

2019

OCEAN & COASTAL MANAGEMENT

The effect of kelp density on white shark movements in the Dyer Island Nature Reserve, South Africa

O’Connell CP, Andreotti S, Rutzen M, Meÿer M, Matthee C.A

VIEW

2017

MARINE BIODIVERSITY

Semi-automated software for dorsal fin photographic identification of marine species: application to Carcharodon carcharias.

Andreotti S, Holtzhausen P, Rutzen M, Meÿer M, Walt S van der, Herbst B, Matthee CA

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2016

MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES

An integrated mark-recapture and genetic approach to estimate the population size of white sharks in South Africa.

Andreotti S, Rutzen M, Walt S van der, Heyden S Von der, Henriques R, Meÿer M, Oosthuizen H, Matthee C

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CURRENT PROJECTS

WHAT WE ARE WORKING ON NOW

SharkSafe Barrier™ Pty is supporting Stellenbosch University Shark Conservation Action Plan, with a strong focus on the collection of field data, to monitor the status of shark populations in South Africa and the training and supervision of aspiring marine scientists, to ultimately guide conservation policies by publishing the research results in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

The latest publications and news will be posted here