GREAT white sharks cruising WA beaches should be caught, tagged and towed far out to sea for release, according to Esperance surfers, divers and the father of a teenage girl fatally attacked at a surf break near town one year ago.

The group, which unites under the banner of Ocean Safety and Support — Esperance, say non-lethal smart drumlines had been successfully trialled in NSW and should be trialled in WA too.

The anniversary of Laeticia Brouwer’s death has galvanised calls from the Great Southern community for the McGowan Government to step up its efforts to mitigate shark attacks.

The 17-year-old’s dad, Leon Brouwer, said smart drumlines, increased funding for research and surveillance and flashing lights/audible sirens on Esperance’s two acoustic receivers would save lives.

“Since this tragedy affected our family the way it has, I have been determined to learn as much as I can and try to do what I can to make a difference and ultimately work to try to change the situation and prevent further deaths if possible,” Mr Brouwer said.

“If we improve our management of the issue, we will at the least be doing something to try to protect human life. The benefits of smart drumlines have been twofold. They catch white sharks that come too close to shore or surf spots, but they also have proven to change the shark’s behaviour — once they have been caught and taken out to sea they generally don’t return.”

Smart drumlines involve the use of baited hooks held in place with an anchor and rope, and kept afloat by two buoys with a satellite-linked communications unit that notifies authorities when a shark is hooked and needs to be tagged and towed away. A NSW Government trial discovered captured sharks move into deeper water after being tagged and released.

Ocean Safety and Support spokesman Mitch Capelli said the community felt the WA Government was not addressing their concerns.

“We want Fisheries to trial smart drumlines in Esperance over the spring season when we know we have a lot of interactions. Sharks are known to return to locations of interest and also known to have short-term residency,” he said.

Fisheries Minister Dave Kelly said the Government was investigating adding lights and sirens to the Shark Monitoring Network receivers at Esperance.

“We are also monitoring the drumline trials in NSW and we are awaiting a scientific assessment of their effectiveness,” he added.

Mr Brouwer said he was relieved government departments had refused permission for documentary makers wanting to bait and film great white sharks off Esperance this week.

“I am extremely grateful to the Esperance community for their understanding towards our family as well as their action to stop this from happening,” he said.

“There’s enough hype about white sharks, so there is no need to carry on making sensationalist documentaries and potentially have the effect of changing the behaviour of white sharks even further. What we need is sound, proper scientific research.”