NSW Shark Attack Cluster Linked to Rain and Runoff (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: There have been four shark attacks in just under 48 hours in New South Wales. So what's going on? Let's start with the type of shark responsible for the attacks. Sydney Harbour is home to a number of bull sharks, which can live in both freshwater and saltwater. They often gather around river mouths, especially following rain, and it rained a lot in Sydney last week, which means sewage pipes flooded, releasing waste in the water. That attracts bait fish, which then attract the bull sharks. Water temperatures have also been favourable.

[00:00:28] Speaker 2: So I think what we're seeing is an extraordinary series of environmental conditions that have come together to give us a really dangerous period of time. It's been brought on by environmental circumstances, not because there are more sharks than there were five years ago.

[00:00:45] Speaker 1: So should you be worried about going for a swim? The CEO of Surf Lifesaving New South Wales has suggested going to a pool instead of the beach for the time being.

[00:00:53] Speaker 2: Sydney Harbour is sort of a historically difficult area to navigate. It's a wild, dynamic ecosystem, even though it's in the middle of the city. Shark bites are rare. They're very uncommon. It's about a 1 in 11 million chance. The ocean is the wild, and these are wild animals, but drone technology is really good. Surf lifesavers are really good. Again, shark behaviour and shark activity is pretty predictable.