A Western Australian man allegedly used a monitoring tag he removed from a great white shark to set off fake warnings in the Albany area for nearly a month.
The 48-year-old allegedly removed the tag from the shark after accidentally catching it and releasing it alive.
The acoustic tag, which had been fitted to the shark by Western Australia’s (WA) Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development as part of a monitoring program, was found by police during a search at a property in great southern region on Oct. 1.
From Aug. 13 to Sept. 4 the man allegedly used the tag to activate shark warnings in the area.
Albany police have charged the man with one count of stealing, they told reporters in a statement.
“WA police have charged a 48-year-old man with stealing in relation to the alleged stealing of an ‘acoustic monitor tag’ used in the tracking of great white sharks by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development,” the statement read. “The man is due to appear before the Albany magistrates court on 4 November 2021.”
Across Western Australia, there are 34 acoustic receivers for sharks that send real-time alerts which are relayed to the public via SharkSmart and Surf Life Saving when they are swimming in the area.
Since the program started, 115 sharks, including great whites sized up to 4.1m, have been tagged.
The sharks are each fitted with a tag that emits its own unique low-frequency “clicks” that are picked up by the receivers.
On Aug. 13, the Albany Advertiser reported that a great white shark had been detected by one of two receivers in the Albany area near Middleton beach at 4:46pm and again at 4:53pm.
On Sept. 4, a great white shark was again detected by the Ellen Cove receiver at 7:56am.
‘IRRESPONSIBLE’
Albany police officer-in-charge Senior Sergeant Hugh Letessier told the West Australian that the alleged behavior was “irresponsible.”
“It leaves an untagged white shark that we know is in waters off Albany,” Letessier said. “Also the false alarm causes unnecessary fear to residents and people using the water.”
‘CROSSING THE LINE’: China’s embassy in Seoul criticized US Forces Korea Commander General Xavier Brunson, asking if his ‘hostile’ remarks were authorized by Washington South Korea and the US are in talks over recent public remarks by the commander of US Forces Korea, Seoul’s presidential office said yesterday, after the comments drew sharp criticism from China. In a recent podcast interview, US Forces Korea Commander General Xavier Brunson described South Korea as “the dagger in the heart of Asia” from China’s east coast, prompting the Chinese embassy in Seoul to say that he had “truly crossed the line.” The interview came amid growing speculation that Washington might seek to expand the role of US Forces Korea in countering the growing regional influence of China, a key
SEEKING ORDER: Rodrigo Paz said that ‘anyone who wants to destroy the nation will have to deal with this president and the full force of the constitution’ Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz on Wednesday said that the nation was at a “breaking point” after nearly a month of protests that have caused shortages of food, fuel and medicine. Paz, who took office six months ago amid the worst economic crisis there in four decades, is battling a groundswell of fury over his policies. The political capital, La Paz, has been besieged by low-income workers and members of the indigenous majority calling for his resignation. “The country needs order and is reaching breaking point,” the 58-year-old said at a public event in La Paz, renewing his appeal for dialogue. On Tuesday, the Bolivian
Australian researchers have trained lab-grown brain cells on a silicon computer chip to play the 1990s shooter game Doom and said they are just scratching the surface of what the neurons could be capable of doing. It is the science-fiction work of biotech boffins at Cortical Labs, who researched and developed the technology that harnesses the workings of the brain’s networking system. Each so-called “biological computer” contains about 200,000 living human brain cells, grown from stem cells that were harvested from blood donations. Having mastered the simple computer game Pong, where a paddle is moved up and down to send a ball
Through the noise of rushing papers and whirring belts at a print factory in Kyoto, two creators watch their photo essay come to life in broadsheet form — part of an effort to win new audiences in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). Despite the decline of the publishing industry, self-publication and handmade “zine” magazines are growing in popularity in Japan, reflecting the nation’s enduring love of paper in the digital era. While speaking to Agence France-Presse at the plant, his hands black with ink, one of the creators, Kazuma Obara, said: “I think [paper] is a medium that engages all five
RSS