Northern NSW beaches will be fitted with hi-tech drum lines this summer following a spate of shark attacks on surfers this year.
Drones will also be trialled and surveillance boosted to better protect swimmers and surfers from sharks as part of a $16 million state government shark strategy.
Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair said the first of the drum lines, which hook and tag sharks before releasing them further out to sea, would be deployed at Ballina next week.
Local surfer Sam Morgan, 20, was bitten by a bullshark at the popular surf spot earlier this month.
The "smart" lines are already used in shark-infested waters off Reunion Island east of Madagascar, where GPS buoys alert contractors to hook sharks.
The animals can then be tagged and moved much further out to sea.
The first field tests of drones will begin on Wednesday at Coffs Harbour.
Mr Blair said there was no easy way to reduce shark attacks, with the government's approach drawing on both available science and emerging technologies.
"These are the first of several trials that will get under way across the state's beaches this summer as we take an integrated approach to working out a long-term solution," he said in a statement on Wednesday.
Helicopter surveillance will also be beefed up on the north coast.
Shark-spotting choppers will fly between Byron Bay and Evans head for at least three hours a day between December 1 and January 26.
HOW HI-TECH DRUM LINES WORK
- Sharks are hooked on the lines;
- GPS buoys send an alert to monitoring staff;
- Sharks are tagged and released in a different area.
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