Swan River shark attack: Fisheries Minister Don Punch looking into water safety after Stella Berry’s death

The first fatal shark attack in the Swan River in 100 years will prompt the government to urgently look at potential mitigation measures — but if the killer shark is found, it won’t be destroyed. The day after 16-year-old Stella Berry was fatally mauled in the waters near the old Fremantle footbridge, authorities were still scouring the waves looking for the deadly shark. Meanwhile, fisheries Minister Don Punch said his department would immediately take a further look into what new mitigation measures could be adopted to make river swimming safer. Mr Punch said records showed there had been only seven shark attacks in the Swan River, only one of them fatal – in 1923. “Most of the risk occurs in the ocean … historically, the river has been a low-risk environment,” he said. “But we’ll certainly be looking at the outcome of this investigation and seeing if we need to do more to try and reduce risk in the river environment. The most important thing is education and informing people. “It’s very important that we educate people and inform people about risks and that people enter the water knowing exactly what the risks are and have the best access to information. Water is part of our life (in WA), but it is a wild ocean and there are a whole range of risks associated with entering rivers or the ocean.” Mr Punch said it was still uncertain what type of shark was involved in the incident, but attempts to identify it were continuing. He said it was “most likely” to have come from the ocean. And the minister said if officers found what they suspected to be the shark involved in the attack, they would not destroy it but monitor it and offer alerts to swimmers. He said the thoughts of West Australians were with the girl’s family and friends. “I can’t imagine how devastated her family must feel today and yesterday when they got the news,” he said. “I can’t imagine how devastated her friends would have been who were there and the first responders who did try to save her life on the beach and were unfortunately not able to. It is a tragedy and all I can say is that I think that everybody in WA would have heartfelt sympathy for that family today. “It’s a very sad day.” Speaking in Geraldton, premier Mark McGowan confirmed that the government would look at “whatever can be done” to potentially mitigate attacks in the Swan River. “We did a whole range of things in the ocean to improve safety of people,” he said. “But the river is different. Flying helicopter patrols it doesn’t work because the river is opaque, it’s brown. “It is very difficult to find things that work. It is just a very, very sad event.” In January 2021, Cameron Wrathall survived despite being mauled by a bull shark while swimming at nearby Blackwall Reach. The only other recorded fatal shark attack in the Swan River occurred almost exactly a century ago, when a young schoolboy was attacked while swimming in neighbouring Peppermint Grove on January 27, 1923. The location where the girl was attacked is about 2.5kms from the mouth of the river. Minister Punch said the sedimentary nature — and pure size — of the river meant it was difficult to assess just how many sharks were in it. He also confirmed there had been no policy change since Mr Wrathall narrowly survived an attack by a bull shark near Bicton’s popular Blackwall Reach area two years ago. He said drum lines would not be used as it was not part of what he described as a “world-leading” and comprehensive shark mitigation strategy. But shark barriers in the river could be considered.