Middleton Beach shark barrier
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Middleton Beach shark barrier, also referred to as the Albany shark barrier and the Ellen Cove shark barrier,[1] is a shark barrier to prevent sharks entering the main swimming area at Ellen Cove at the southern end of Middleton Beach, a popular swimming beach in Albany in the Great Southern region of Western Australia.
There has never been a fatal shark attack at Middleton Beach but the beach is closed several times a year as a result of shark sightings.[2] In 2008 Jason Cull was attacked by a 4-metre (13 ft) great white shark just offshore from the beach. The shark bit his left leg; Cull fought it off and was rescued shortly afterward.[3]
The Premier of Western Australia, Colin Barnett, introduced a shark drum-line baiting program in 2014 following seven fatal shark attacks in WA in three years. The program was heavily criticized and scrapped later the same year.[4] Groups such as Sea Shepherd had called for eco-shark barriers and spotters as used in Cape Town in South Africa.[5]
In July 2015 Barnett announced that two beaches would receive funding to install barriers: Middleton Beach, and the Perth metropolitan Sorrento Beach.[6]
The contract was awarded to an Australian company, Global Marine Enclosures, in December 2015 by the Albany City Council. The cost of the barrier was A$340,000, with the Government of Western Australia committing A$200,000 and the City of Albany contributing A$140,000 and A$30,000 per annum for maintenance.[2][7][8]
The Aquarius barrier system used at Middleton Beach is composed of heavy duty marine ropes with a nylon plastic strut design. The vertical struts are made from solid nylon plastic that is sufficiently rigid that marine life can't become caught in it; small creatures pass through it, larger ones are blocked without being trapped. The horizontal ropes give the structure strength in the water. The barrier has a 7,300-kilogram (16,000 lb) horizontal breaking strength and has an expected lifespan of around 10 years.[9]
Installation of the barrier structure was commenced and completed in March 2016.[10] The installation was delayed for a short time when sharks attacked pygmy whales just metres from the beach. One 2.5-metre (8 ft) whale had to be put down after receiving severe injuries in the attack.[11]
The barrier was slightly damaged following bad weather shortly after the installation was completed. A small tear was discovered after a storm surge of seaweed broke through a section at the shallow end of the barrier. The section was replaced, with the barrier being stabilized with mooring ropes attached to chains until the work was completed.[1][12]
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