SharkSafe Barrier: SA Innovation protecting swimmers and sharks expands into international waters

Sharknets, commonly used in many coastal areas including South Africa to reduce the likelihood of humans being bitten by sharks, are responsible for the deaths of thousands of sharks and inadvertently trap and harm marine species like dolphins. A team of marine biologists at Stellenbosch University has developed an alternative solution, the SharkSafe Barrier. Their eco-friendly innovation is gaining international recognition with the first international installation on a private island in the Bahamas. The SharkSafe Barrier biomimics the visual effect of a kelp forest and generates a strong magnetic field through ceramic magnets, forming a double barrier that deters sharks from swimming through it. In an interview with Biznews, Dr. Sara Andreotti, a co-founder, and the Chief Operations Officer of the company, said humans fear sharks even though only 6-8 people are killed by sharks every year. She told Biznews that their device prevents shark deaths and the deaths of other marine life while providing safe swimming and surfing waters, which is good for tourism. The first successful commercial rollout of their innovation has been in the Bahamas and it is now being considered at a beach in Plettenberg Bay in South Africa. Dr Andreotti shed light on the alarming decline in the great white shark population in South African waters. She stressed that, contrary to the well-documented influence of Orcas, the primary cause of this decline can be attributed to human activities. Bycatching and illegal gill nets continue to pose serious threats, compounded by an exemption granted to the Kwazulu-Natal Sharks Board for the protection of great white sharks.