In theory, the fence would emit sounds that drive away seals, which in turn would lead the sharks away. Images: Screenshot/WJAR
Last summer in Cape Cod, two people were attacked by sharks. The first victim was a 61-year-old man who required multiple surgeries to put his body back together, while the second, a 26-year-old man named Arthur Medici, became the first shark-related death in Massachusetts since 1936. Now, two men have pitched a novel idea to keep sharks away from popular swimming areas – by keeping seals out.
The idea is similar to an invisible fence one might use to keep a dog in the yard and was proposed to the Barnstable County commissioner in late May. Willy Planinshek and Kevin McCarthy told the commissioner that their concept, which they’re calling “Deep Blue,” is a string of buoys located offshore that would produce a sound annoying to seals while inaudible to humans. In theory, the seals would head away from the sound and the sharks would follow them. “If I can change the seal pattern, traffic pattern, instinctually for them to go into deeper waters, the great whites will follow,” Planinshek told NBC10.
The pair know that their idea won’t work 100 percent of the time, but they’re also sure that it will remove at least some of the risk. “The system would not absolutely preclude that a white shark would come into the area,” said McCarthy. “It would greatly reduce the possibility of a white shark being in the area because there’s no food source there.”
Although they haven’t yet tested their theory, Planinshek and McCarthy hope it might hit the water by the summer of 2020. According to reports, the commission members who listened to the pitch were enthusiastic about the idea, since it focusses on ridding the area of sharks instead of killing them off. Still, though, the sound barriers haven’t proven all that successful in the past, so there’s much to be done before they’re implemented.
