Queensland trials high-frequency alarms to protect whales
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Authorities in Queensland, Australia, began a five-week trial of high-frequency acoustic alarms on shark nets near Noosa Heads to deter humpback whales.
The Queensland government, the University of Queensland, and Future Oceans are collaborating on the project, hoping to reduce whale entanglement in the nets during the annual southern migration. About 50,000 humpback whales migrate along Australia’s east coast each year, and while current interactions with the nets are low at around 0.02 percent, officials believe improvements are possible.
Future Oceans developed the “pingers” to emit sounds whales and dolphins can hear, prompting them to move away from the nets. University of Queensland researchers will monitor the nets for 10 hours daily, observing whale behavior around the altered alarms. The new frequency builds on 15 years of prior use of acoustic deterrents, and researchers aim to eventually understand whale communication to replicate deterrent signals.
Humpbacks and High-rises, a conservation organisation, expressed skepticism about the pingers’ effectiveness, pointing to past studies and questioning the overall benefit of shark nets, which they say harm non-target species. They advocate removing the nets during whale migration season to eliminate entanglements altogether. Despite these concerns, the state government maintains the shark nets are important for swimmer safety and supports exploring technological advancements to improve the program.
