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Insight: Sept 29

Insight visits the Northern Rivers region of NSW, to discuss keeping the community safe from the threat of sharks.

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This week, Insight visits the Northern Rivers region of NSW, for an episode at Lennox Head to discuss keeping the community safe from the threat of sharks this summer.

“I was going to keep punching him ‘til I was dead. I was going to go down fighting” – Craig Ison.

With two fatalities in the last year, several seriously injured and countless reports of sightings, bumps and other interactions, the north coast communities of NSW are all talking about one thing: sharks.

So why are there more shark encounters in this particular area now? And how much do we actually know about sharks?

The NSW Premier Mike Baird has promised $250,000 for water and air surveillance of the northern NSW coastline, alongside a shark tagging program that’s already underway and an independent review of existing shark deterrent technologies.

Can wetsuits and striped boards make surfers appear less attractive to sharks? And why are some colours to be avoided in the water – like ‘yum yum yellow’?

In this episode, filmed at the Lennox Head Hotel, Insight brings together scientists, marine ecologists, surfers, fishermen, and concerned local community members.

Heading into summer, what might actually work to keep people safe in the water?

Guests include:

Craig Ison
Attacked in August: “He was heading like a missile, just straight at me, all I could see was his teeth.”

Darren Rogers
Surfer in the water when Tadashi Nakahara was fatally attacked earlier this year: “It just went from beautiful to within the next couple of minutes, your worst nightmare.”

Don Munro
Lifelong surfer: “There’s no real enjoyment even when we are surfing because the only thing we’re thinking about at the time is, is there a shark under us?”

Monica Schweickle
Psychologist: “I think a lot of people have become really hyper vigilant, it’s a really normal response to trauma.”

David Wright
Ballina Mayor: “Our shire is a beautiful place …I’ve never worried about sharks. And since February it’s in everyone’s mind.”

Georgie Latimer
Helicopter pilot: “Anywhere from one to three or four sharks, quite in close to the beaches, just behind the breakers.”

Jann Gilbert
Marine ecologist: “It’s a worldwide trend that populations of sharks have declined, not increased.”

Jabez Reitman
Attacked in February: “That’s when I felt my ribs and there was no flesh there and I was just, that’s when I realised that it was a shark attack.”

Dr Paul Butcher
Department of Primary Industries NSW: “White sharks feed throughout the day, and in clear water and at night as well…we’re at risk the entire time.”

Assoc Prof Nathan Hart
Shark biologist: “We understand so little about sharks in general.”

8:30pm Tuesday SBS.

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