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 College 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 in opposition to the daylight.
Lights may show a non-invasive technique of shark restraint, in contrast to nets or drones, they added.
Nice white sharks are the species liable for most human shark-bite fatalities, and infrequently assault their prey from beneath, lead researcher Laura Ryan stated. Which means generally the sharks mistake a surfer’s silhouette for the define of a seal.
Researchers say it’s also necessary to see whether or not the LED lighting is efficient in deterring different shark species identified to assault people, together with bull sharks and tiger sharks.
Most assaults are related to folks browsing and taking part 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 had been deadly, in response to statistics.
The Australian examine, printed within the journal Present Biology, concerned testing three completely different intensities of LED lights.
Ms Ryan stated the examine confirmed the brightest horizontal-aligned lights had been much less prone to be focused.
The researchers stated: “Our outcomes reveal the significance of a darkish silhouette in opposition to a lighter background in predatory behaviour in nice white sharks and that altering the silhouette could kind the premise of recent non-invasive shark deterrent know-how to guard human life.”
They added it was fascinating that nice white sharks had been much less interested in probably the most conspicuous lights as a result of different research have discovered some species had been drawn to vibrant, reflective objects.
The researchers are actually constructing prototype lighting strips to check on surfboards and kayaks.