Western Australia's Shark Monitoring Network is expanding and using new technology to provide faster alerts on more than 300 tagged sharks, including a 4-metre great white.
The Fisheries Department says alerts can now be delivered less than two minutes after a shark is detected.
The network was expanded this week with the deployment of two satellite-linked shark monitors near Busselton in the state's southwest. Six more will be added to the network on the south coast this summer.
There are now about 320 receivers in the seabed and 20 satellite receivers to monitor tagged sharks including 136 white sharks, 171 whaler sharks and 19 tiger sharks.
Fisheries Minister Troy Buswell said the network upgrades meant the public could access alerts sooner on Surf Life Saving WA's Twitter feed or website.
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"This summer, response agencies will have even more time to close a beach and alert water users of potential shark hazards, with alerts from receivers being sent faster," he said.
Scientists tagged their largest shark - the 4-metre great white - off Albany's Cheynes Beach in August.
The department says the mature male is the biggest great white shark in Australian waters to be internally fitted with an acoustic transmitter tag.
The scientists surgically implanted small acoustic transmitters in the shark's stomach before releasing it.
Fisheries Department principal research scientist Rory McAuley said acoustic tags provided important knowledge about sharks.
"The battery life of internal acoustic tags is up to 10 years so the scientific data that may be collected from this shark is unprecedented," he said.
The state government is also planning a dedicated website for shark information and alerts this summer.
