SYDNEY, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) government will invest an additional 34 million Australian dollars (23.44 million U.S. dollars) to expand shark-spotting drone surveillance after a serious attack at a Sydney Beach earlier this month.
The funding lifts the state's shark mitigation program to 120 million Australian dollars over two years, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on Sunday.
About 70 NSW beaches will have year-round drone coverage, with all Sydney beaches monitored from July 1, while regional sites get weekend patrols year-round and daily summer flights, the ABC reported.
The program could involve up to 500,000 drone flights annually, alongside artificial intelligence shark detection trials, according to Surf Life Saving NSW, which conducts the surveillance.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said the program would be "world-leading," adding that increased patrols would likely result in more reported shark sightings, reflecting improved detection rather than rising shark numbers.
The expansion follows an attack two weeks ago in which a 34-year-old woman was critically injured by a suspected great white shark while swimming in a flagged patrol area at Sydney's popular Coogee Beach.
No drones were operating at the time due to the beach's proximity to Sydney Airport's flight path, the ABC reported.
Great white sharks are protected and cannot be culled, but Minns said culling of bull sharks, which are not protected, would not be ruled out. ■