City seeks Bathers Beach shark barrier funds

FREMANTLE council tonight voted to seek State funding for a $200,000 shark barrier for a beach where no shark has tread before. Bathers Beach.
The decision is not based on the safety of swimmers, but elected members’ push to attract more people to a ‘gorgeous’ beach and future ‘gem’ between Arthurs Head and Fishing Boat Harbour.
Only Coastal Ward Cr Andrew Sullivan talked sense when he explained why Bathers Beach was not the place for a barrier even though it was the council’s preferred site designed to ‘activate’ the 300m seaweed-laden sand strip.
Referring to toilets in his rejection of the officer’s recommendation, Cr Sullivan said the protection of swimmers at Bathers Beach was, “the wrong issue”, as most shark victims were surfers and scuba divers outside swimming enclosures. He said toilets had to be built at Bathers Beach anyway.
Then why not just build toilets and change rooms instead of crying wolf and relying on a State grant and $100,000 promise from local traders to contribute to basic facilities Cr Sullivan said council failed to support a decade ago?
Cr Sullivan said the idea the greater population would visit Bathers Beach for a swim, “is both challenging for me and fraught in terms of how we would manage them”.
He also acknowledged that South Beach, “came top of the list in a sense, it logically was up there”. In fact, most people surveyed by council showed the community’s preference for popular South Beach.
Cr Doug Thompson agreed and said the State grants were offered after two shark attacks in the Swan River. He said a shark attack at Bathers Bay has never been reported at Bathers Beach while Port and Leighton beaches were closed three times this summer because of shark sightings.
“I’m conflicted,” he said supporting the decision.
So too Cr Jenny Archibald who played down the lack of local toiletries and intestinal fortitude of most people when she noted Arthur Head was 182m away and Esplanade 273m, “we don’t need to rush into that discussion on the strength of how far it is to get to the toilets”.
She added: “I feel the whole issue managing shark nets, managing sharks, is fraught, but we’ll see how we proceed.”
City Ward Cr Adin Lang said the activation of the beach area would attract, “a whole new range of people”. Swimmers?
Mayor Hannah Fitzhardinge said the City would ask the State to fund the full amount for the shark barrier: “One of the things that is really clear about shark barriers is that they attract a lot more people for those beaches. So you’re not catering for an existing beach population, you’re catering for a population of people who currently do not go to the beach.”
As StreetWise asked on December 16, 2023 (www.streetwisemedia.com.au/bonkers-over-bathers-bay), is a permanent shark barrier at Bathers Bay overkill for a site that has never recorded a shark death or serious injury? So what exactly are we keeping out?
UWA coastal oceanographer Chari Pattriatchi and shark whisperer Hugh Edwards told StreetWise the idea is not based on science or ‘common sense’.
Why would the city not erect barriers or safe swimming enclosures at more crowded popular beaches such as Port Beach where Paul Millachip, 57, was killed in 2021 or Hervey Beach near where Stella Berry, 16, was killed last year? Does the council decision put at risk those beaches without barriers and enclosures?
The City says, “while instances of swimmers’ interactions with sharks are rare, the recent incidents have understandably increased public awareness, and heightened public concern in respect to the risk of shark attacks whilst swimming”.
It adds, “while only 48% of respondents supported a protected swimming area at Bathers Beach, respondents against it generally preferred an alternative location for a protected swimming area or felt Bathers Beach was unsuitable. Bathers Beach is not directly aligned for funding with the State Government’s commitment to partnering with local councils along the Swan and Canning rivers to deliver shark mitigation strategies including the installation of swimming enclosures due to its coastal location. However, consultation with Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development has indicated there would be general support for the proposed location”.
The beach enclosure program is administered by DPIRD and there is no formal grant process or submission requirements. To seek the funding, the City must submit a proposal with supporting information and budget requirements to present to the Minister following council approval of the project and budget.
Additional stories at Fremantle’s independent media platform at www.streetwisemedia.com.au.