CITY DOGGED ON SHARK NET DESPITE SCARY STATS
MULTIPLE shark sightings and one attack at Port Beach since the start of this year have not swayed the City of Fremantle from erecting a costly shark barrier at Bathers Bay.
Port Beach was closed again today following the sighting by Surf Life Saving WA’s Westpac helicopter of a 3m shark 100m from the beach while a 1.5m unknown species of shark was spotted this morning circling 50m off Catherine Point south of South Beach.
The State Government has committed $500,000 to build the Bathers Bay barrier when exposed beaches such as Port Beach have been sidelined by council which voted last year to contribute $200,000 towards the capital costs and $1 million over a decade to maintain the Bathers barrier.
This is despite a lack of shark sightings and public support to enclose 60,000sqm of water to ‘protect’ a 340m beach strip with a physical barrier erected between existing breakwaters.
StreetWise was surprised to find at least eight shark sightings at Port Beach since the start of 2025. Most would have gone undetected without eyes in the sky.
The previous fatality at Port Beach was in 2021 when Paul Millachip, 57, was taken by a 4.5m great white and Stella Berry, 16, by a bull shark up to 3m in length in 2023, the first fatality in the Swan River in 100 years.
Shark stats
ON March 26, a swimmer at Sandtrax surfing spot was ‘bumped’ and bitten 40m from shore by a 1.5m tiger shark that circled him after rescuers could reach him. The incident was recorded at the online platform Dorsal Perth Shark Reports (www.dorsalwatch.com).
Three hours later, an unknown species of shark also measuring 1.5m was sighted 25m from shore.
On March 2, Port Beach was closed after a shark believed to be a bronze whaler was sighted 20m from shore.
On February 20, the Westpac helicopter spotted a 2.5m bronze whaler 100m from shore.
On February 7, a member of the public reported a 2m mako 400m from shore.
On January 9, the Westpac helicopter spotted a 2.5m unknown species of shark circling 350m from shore.
On January 3, the Westpac helicopter spotted a 2m unknown species of shark just 10m from shore.
On December 31, 2024, a member of the public reported an unknown species of shark (unspecified length) 80m from shore.
We could keep going to the start of summer 2024, but you get the drift.
Interestingly, the online platform includes a previous shark sighting at Bathers Bay at 10.30am on February 27, 2022, when a tiger shark (unspecified length) was spotted 15m from shore and 20 minutes later a second report of a 3.5m tiger shark 50m from shore. Possibly the same shark.
Five months earlier, a 3m unknown species of shark was reported 750m from Bathers Beach.
On September 20, 2022, a member of the public sighted an unknown species of shark 750m from shore. The next day, a member of the public sighted from shore: “Running past the mews on the way out and way back saw a shark black fin. Never seen a shark but was def an animal not driftwood. And a fin x 2.”
No further reports occur until 2016.
Additional Bathers Bay shark reports at www.streetwisemedia.com.au.
