News & Alerts

• Keep the sand between your toes this Easter and fish from the beach
• Safety should be foremost in mind at all times, no matter where you fish
• Do not take risks rock fishing, especially if you are inexperienced or cannot swim 

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.

Western Australia’s autumn salmon run is almost here and water users are urged to take care.

Schools of salmon are commonly spotted, between early-mid March and late April, along the sheltered bays and rocky headlands of the South and West coasts. While the annual event is keenly anticipated by recreational fishers who love the thrill of capturing the aerobatic, fast swimming, WA salmon, the schools of fish can also attract larger predators.

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.

• Long-lasting internal tags have been inserted into 16 white sharks off Esperance
• The tags can be detected on WA's 27 satellite-linked shark monitoring receivers 
• More than 860 sharks including 258 white sharks have now been tagged 

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.

A surfer has been injured in a shark incident at South Point, Gracetown, in the Shire of Augusta Margaret River.

Situation:

• A man received injuries after being bitten by an unconfirmed species of shark, while surfing at South Point at approximately 18:00 hrs on Friday 5 January 2018.
• It’s suspected the shark may have been a small whaler or a wobbegong.

Alert level:
A shark ADVICE has been issued due to a number of shark sightings and detections near Rottnest Island.

• McGowan Government delivers on election promise to support local governments to improve beach safety
• Beach Emergency Numbers will help save vital time in critical incidents
• Regional councils from Geraldton to the South Australian border are urged to apply for funding