SOLOMON FRANKLIN is a year 12 student at Perth Waldorf School who is completing his major assignment for the year, which is an examination of WA’s shark mitigation strategies. Sitting down with him earlier this week, the Chook was quite stunned about what he has discovered in an area we’d covered quite extensively over the years, so we invited him to contribute a series of articles explaining what he discovered – and how we might be able to do things better. There’s even a chance for you to get involved – just follow the QR code to take part in his survey.

WE live in the state that holds the highest shark attack rate per capita in Australia. 

The rate of shark attacks here has also been increasing faster than the rate of the human population. 

Yet WA has the most limited shark safety program of any of the states where sharks are an issue.

Growing up in Fremantle I was always around water. 

I spent many school holidays jumping off cliffs into the Swan River, and swimming around Port Beach. 

I remember people holding a general awareness of sharks, but not much active fear of them. 

• A great white shark. Photo by Olga Ernst via Wikipedia Commons

Between 2021 and 2025, there were tragic attacks in East Fremantle, Port Beach and Rottnest. 

Following these events, I noticed a change in behaviour and attitude toward ocean and beach use. 

People rarely ventured past chest deep at Leighton beach, and Blackwell Reach was no longer an attraction for kids.

Sadly, as shark attacks have continued to rise in WA, I’ve noticed the effects on many of my family and friends, with what used to be a weekly activity, swimming in our natural waters, now becoming a rare occurrence. 

Even if the actual risk of an attack is extremely low, these attacks are getting into the heads of the public and fracturing what is a corner stone of our culture.

These observations led me to start researching shark attacks in WA and the resulting relationship with people’s use of the ocean. 

I explored whether shark attacks were increasing and if there was more the government could be doing to manage the issues relating to them. 

As part of my exploration, I’ve been conducting a survey to help gain a greater understanding of people’s perceptions on the issue. 

Is there even an issue at all? 

This survey takes only one to two minutes to complete, and you can scan the QR code above to find the survey.

Management

When I first started looking into shark related issues in WA, I had a lot of questions, such as, “why don’t we have more shark management systems in place”, and “what are the most effective forms of management that could be implemented?” 

These questions then led me to explore the 2013-2014 drumline trials, the 2019-2021 SMART drumline trials, and the different systems that are used across the world to increase water safety in shark prone areas.

What is thought to be one of the leading causes for Australia’s increase in attack rates, is the growth in the Great White shark population. 

Since protection for Great Whites was introduced in 1988 in Australia, the CSIRO holds that the population has increased to what it now describes as healthy levels.

Another direct correlation to WA’s rise in shark attacks has been the growth in Humpback whale populations along our coastline. 

This population has grown at a steady 10-11 per cent per year since 2018, aligning with WA’s attacks rising roughly 10 per cent per year since 2014. 

The majority of shark attacks in WA have also coincided with the Humpback whale migration, during mid-winter to spring.

I’ve spent a large part of this year attempting to understand the factors that may have contributed to the shark management systems that are employed in WA today. 

This included looking at why WA’s SMART drumline trial was unsuccessful – it’s a fascinating example of science and politics not always seeing eye-to-eye and I’ll be delving into that in an upcoming article. 

Finally, I looked at which evidence-based approaches should be adopted into WA’s management plan to improve public safety while maintaining shark conservation. 

Evidence

In the following weeks I will provide further details of my findings on these topics.

If the survey yields any information I believe could be constructive in any way with regards to ocean usage, the results will be presented to Water Safety and Shark Management minister Jackie Jarvis. 

I’ll also be providing a detailed summary in a couple of weeks’ time in The Herald. 

Participants also have the option to receive the results directly upon completion of the survey.