A shark barrier has been installed in Perth’s Swan River after a teenager died in the river’s first fatal attack in 100 years.
The barrier at Bicton Baths is about four kilometres from the Fremantle traffic bridge, where 16-year-old Stella Berry was attacked while swimming in February.
It’s part of the WA Government’s ongoing rollout of shark hazard mitigation measures for the Swan Canning Estuary.
Premier Roger Cook said the barrier would provide swimmers with confidence they are safe when they hit the water.
“The barrier is the first of its kind to be installed in the Swan River and is part of a suite of mitigation measures in place to reduce the risk of shark encounters,” he said on Monday.
The enclosure, which is about 50 metres long and 50 metres wide, will be operating by the end of the month following safety checks.
It provides swimmers with a physical barrier to reduce the risk of a shark encounter and unlike nets will not trap marine life.
Other measures for the estuary include the installation of three acoustic shark monitoring receivers that provide near real-time notifications of tagged shark activity.