Overview

• Authorities issued a shark warning and closed river beaches after at least 10 sharks were seen lingering beneath the Fremantle Traffic Bridge on a third consecutive day of sightings.
• SharkSmart logged multiple reports less than 24 hours apart at the same location, and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development said it received three public reports since Monday.
• The latest reports place the sharks about 100 metres from where 16-year-old Stella Berry was killed in 2023, a case later confirmed as a bull shark attack by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
• Species identification is disputed, with public reports listing bull sharks and a local commercial fisher suggesting bronze whalers, while DBCA scientists examine video to determine the species.
• Officials urged residents to take additional caution and report sightings to Water Police, and researchers plan to survey the river as marine biologists point to this winter’s heavy rainfall as a likely driver of increased activity.