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Fixing LED strip lights to the underside of surfboards may deter assaults by nice white sharks, Australian scientists say.
A examine performed in Mossel Bay, South Africa concerned towing seal-shaped boards fitted with completely different configurations of lights behind a ship to see which attracted probably the most consideration.
The researchers from Macquarie University in New South Wales say the lights distorted the silhouette of the their “decoys” on the ocean’s floor and restricted the power of the good whites to see towards the daylight.
Lights may show a non-invasive technique of shark restraint, in contrast to nets or drones, they added.
Great white sharks are the species chargeable for most human shark-bite fatalities, and infrequently assault their prey from beneath, lead researcher Laura Ryan stated. This signifies that typically the sharks mistake a surfer’s silhouette for the define of a seal.
Researchers say additionally it is vital to see whether or not the LED lighting is efficient in deterring different shark species recognized to assault people, together with bull sharks and tiger sharks.
Most assaults are related to folks browsing and collaborating in different board sports activities. There have been 69 unprovoked shark bites in 2023, most within the US, Australia and South Africa, 10 of which have been deadly, according to statistics.
The Australian examine, published in the journal Current Biology, concerned testing three completely different intensities of LED lights.
Ms Ryan stated the examine confirmed the brightest horizontal-aligned lights have been much less prone to be focused.
The researchers stated: “Our results reveal the importance of a dark silhouette against a lighter background in predatory behaviour in great white sharks and that altering the silhouette may form the basis of new non-invasive shark deterrent technology to protect human life.”
They added it was attention-grabbing that nice white sharks have been much less drawn to probably the most conspicuous lights as a result of different research have discovered some species have been drawn to brilliant, reflective objects.
The researchers are actually constructing prototype lighting strips to check on surfboards and kayaks.
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