News & Alerts

Situation:

• The Department of Parks and Wildlife has made an initial assessment and, given the very shallow nature of the water in and around the sandbar, options are limited in terms of removal. 
• It is possible the decomposing carcass will continue to act as an attractant that could lead to sharks coming close in to shore along this stretch of coast.
• While it’s not uncommon for sharks to be present off the Western Australian coast throughout the year, people should exercise additional caution while the whale carcass remains in the area.

What to do:

• Take additional caution in the Shoalwater Bay area.
• Adhere to beach closures advised by Local Government Rangers or Surf Life Saving WA.
• Keep informed of the latest detection and sighting information by checking the SharkSmart website or Surf Life Saving WA’s Twitter feed.
• If you see a shark, report it to Water Police on 9442 8600. All shark sighting information reported to Water Police is provided to response agencies and to the public on the SharkSmart website and the Surf Life Saving WA Twitter feed.

What authorities are doing:
The Department of Fisheries is monitoring the situation and providing advice to relevant authorities.

The Department of Parks and Wildlife and other agencies will be making a further assessments of the situation over the weekend.

City of Rockingham officials will make an assessment early tomorrow (Saturday 23 July) whether or not to close the beach for the safety of water users.

At this stage it is unknown when it will be possible to remove the whale carcass. 

Extra information:
Keep informed of the latest detection and sighting information by checking the Shark Activity Map on the SharkSmart website – www.sharksmart.com.au/shark-activity or the Surf Life Saving WA Twitter – twitter.com/SLSWA.Check www.sharksmart.com.au/news for current alerts and warnings.