News and Alerts

Fisheries officers are currently investigating a reported shark incident at Cobblestone Surfing Spot near Gracetown.

Situation:
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development has received reports that a surfer has received injuries after being bitten shark prior to 8am this morning. 

Fisheries officers are currently investigating a second reported shark incident today, this time at Lefthanders Surfing Spot near Gracetown.

Situation:
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development has received reports that a surfer has received injuries after being bitten by a shark at about 2.30pm this afternoon.

Update on 16 April at 4.25pm:

Officers from Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) have assessed the whale and deemed today's weather conditions unfavourable for its removal .

Fisheries officers from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development are currently assisting DBCA in developing a plan with a view to attempting a removal, as soon as weather conditions permit.

Surfers, divers and swimmers are advised to say out of the water in the Gracetown area, between North Point and Ellensbrook.

Alert issued on 16 April 2018:

Alert level:
A shark ADVICE has been issued due to a whale carcass being reported at Lefthanders near Gracetown in the Shire of Margaret River.

Update on 20 April at 5.10pm: 

The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) has amended its Regulation 44 closure for the Hamelin Bay area to allow parts of Foul Bay and Boranup to reopen. 

This is a result of recent inspections of the remains of whale carcasses in the Hamelin Bay area. 

The two areas that will remain closed will be the area from the shoreline to two kilometres out to sea between Contos Springs and south of Boranup North Point at the intersection of Grace Road and the second area between White Cliff Point, south of Hamelin Bay, to Foul Bay South East

The latest inspections revealed there are six remaining pilot whale carcasses between Contos and Foul Bay and unfortunately the decomposition is proceeding slower than expected.

The areas still subject to the DBCA Regulation 44 notice will remain closed until Tuesday 24 April at 6pm, at which time a further assessment will be carried out.

Shark sightings should be reported to Water Police on 9442 8600 

Update on 5 April at 7.05pm:

Caution is advised at this location, because residues from the whale may have leaked where the carcass came ashore and they could be an attractant to sharks.

Department of Biosecurity, Conservation and Attractions officers removed the carcass yesterday.

Shark sightings should be reported to Water Police on 9442 8600.

Alert issued on 3 April 2018:

Alert level:
A shark ADVICE has been issued, due to a whale carcass being reported on the beach, north of Joeys Nose at Kilcarnup in the shire of Margaret River.

Update on 2 April at 1.20pm:

Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions officers have removed the beach closed signage at Redgate Beach and replaced it with shark hazard signage.

Additional caution is still advised, as any residue from where the carcass was beached may still attract sharks to the area.

Shark sightings should be reported to Water Police on 9442 8600.

Update on 9 April at 4.35pm:

Officers from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) have today confirmed beaches will remain closed from Cosy Corner to Bobs Hollow until 4.30pm Monday 16 April when the situation will be again reviewed.

The Section 44 notice which formally closes waters from Hamelin Bay to Bobs Hollow between the shoreline and two kilometres out to sea has also been extended until 16 April by DBCA.

A number of whale carcasses have not yet been removed from the area (see prior updates), and the decomposing carcasses may attract sharks.

If you see a shark, report it to Water Police on 9442 8600.

Update on 15 March at 1.55pm:

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development has sought expert scientific opinion on what caused the injuries to two 10 year-old boys, who suffered bite wounds in a suspected shark interaction at Watermans Bay Beach.

Photos of the injuries were supplied to us for investigation, by a relative of one of the boys.

We have been advised the injuries were not consistent with a shark bite, but some other marine animal.

As a result we are downgrading the alert issued overnight, however, water users should be careful in the marine environment at all times.

Alert issued 14 March 2018:

Alert level:
A shark WARNING has been issued for Perth Metropolitan Waters between Sorrento Beach and Trigg after a possible shark interaction was reported at Watermans Bay Beach this evening.

Update on 28 February at 3.45pm:

• The Shark Monitoring Network receiver at Bickley Point (Rottnest) is back in service.
• The satellite-linked Shark Monitoring Network is now fully operational

Alert issued 26 February 2018:

Alert level:
A shark ADVICE has been issued for Western Australian water users due to a partial outage in the shark notification system.

A man has been injured in a shark incident at Cone Bay in the Kimberley, north of Derby.

Situation:

• A man received injuries after being bitten by a Bull Shark at approximately 08:00 hrs on Sunday 28 January. The man was treated at Derby Hospital yesterday and is being flown to Perth for further treatment to injuries, which are reportedly not serious.