19 January 2006 Australia debates new anti-shark measures
Additional measures may be deployed to improve the safety of Australia's waters.
Following the death of a 21-year-old university student after a shark attack in shallow water on North Stradbroke Island, Australian authorities are looking at extra ways to protect beachgoers.
Shark attacks are extremely rare, with ten recorded deaths in the past five years. Yet the New South Wales minister for natural resources, Ian Macdonald, said that despite this record more needs to be done to reassure swimmers.
"Given the recent... attack in Queensland, as well as shark encounters in other states, there has been a lot of discussion about additional measures that could be employed," he said.
At present roughly 50 beaches in and around Sydney have nets or tracts of meshing designed to keep sharks away from shallower waters. Introduced 70 years ago, there has been just one fatal shark attack in the area due to the scheme, reports the BBC.
However, environmentalists argue that the nets pose a danger to non-threatening wildlife, including dolphins and turtles.
Authorities are now debating what the new measures will entail, although the vigilance of lifeguards and the public's awareness of sensible swimming times can play a large part in reducing the number of shark attacks. 
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