South Africa to Test Shark Repelling Electronic Cable

Photo Credit: Institute for Maritime Technology

A new study off of False Bay, South Africa will test the effectiveness of using an electronic field to repel sharks from the area.

A 100m cable, which will emit a low-frequency, low-power electronic field, is to be installed on the seabed off Glencairn beach in False Bay, South Africa on Wednesday. The idea is that sharks, which have special electroreceptor cells (ampullae of Lorenzini) as part of their biological sensory system, are very sensitive to electric fields and will swim away from the electronic field produced by the cable. KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board, the group who developed the technology, hope that the electronic cable will repel sharks from the area, providing an alternative shark repellent to shark nets and drums.

According to the permit from the Department of Environmental Affairs, the cable will be activated on November 1, after the southern right wale migration from False Bay into the Antarctic, and is to be removed at the end of March.

Read the original article; New shark cable set for False Bay