SHARK MITIGATION SCIENCE
Accessible Research, Safer Waters
If all else fails and a shark bite occurs, injury reduction aims to reduce injuries and hopefully save a life. Injury reduction methods are generally shark-bite proof wetsuit materials. Historically, shark-proof suits have been heavy and impractical for uses such as surfing and swimming. However, recent technological advances have seen that these materials are now made from strong but lightweight fibres, similar to that of Dyneema sailing rope or bulletproof vest material.
Blood loss is the leading cause of shark-bite-related fatalities, therefore, a bite-resistant wetsuit material could theoretically reduce blood loss and potentially reduce life-threatening injuries. This type of mitigation is usually implemented by an individual, rather than by councils or governments.
Injury reduction
The research
This study assesses the ability of four wetsuit materials (Aqua Armour, Shark Stop, ActionTX-S and Brewster material) to reduce damage from white and tiger shark bites. Sharks were encouraged to bite sections of the test materials and a control material (3mm neoprene). The proportion of the bitten surface was compared across the materials to assess damage. Damage categories included C1, superficial; C2, slight; C3, substantial; or C4, critical. All test materials decreased the proportional area of bites for the most severe damage categories (C3 and C4), which were associated with major blood loss. Tiger shark length was associated with proportion of damage on the test materials, but white shark length did not influence results. Given that shark-bite fatalities generally result from blood loss, rather than crushing injuries, these materials offer a solution to minimise bleeding and hopefully increase the chance of survival for shark-bite victims. ​​
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Clarke, T.M., Butcher, P.A., Green, M., Whitelaw, J., Meyer, L. and Huveneers, C., 2025. Effectiveness of bite-resistant materials to reduce injuries from white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) and tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) bites. Wildlife Research, 52(10)
This study assesses the ability of Kevlar material to reduce damage from blacktip reef shark bites. Sharks were encouraged to bite bait-filled Kevlar pouches and normal neoprene pouches as a control. Punctures from shark bites were significantly smaller on the Kevlar pouches compared to normal neoprene (3.64 ± 0.26 mm vs. 5.88 ± 0.29 mm). There were also fewer punctures on the Kevlar material compared to normal neoprene (14.92 ± 3.16 vs. 74.1 ± 12.44).
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*This study also assesses an electric deterrent. Results are outlined in the Electric mitigation section of this website.
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Thiele, M., Mourier, J., Papastamatiou, Y., Ballesta, L., Chateauminois, E. and Huveneers, C., 2020. Response of blacktip reef sharks Carcharhinus melanopterus to shark bite mitigation products. Scientific reports, 10(1), p.3563.
This study proposes a novel fibre-reinforced material that was created by integrating Kevlar and elastic fibres. This material is intended to withstand shark bites. Uni-axial testing using replica shark teeth determined that the material successfully limited tooth penetration to a depth where damage to major arteries is unlikely to occur.
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Fiedler, T. and Verstegen, T., 2020. Fibre-Reinforced Composite for Protection against Shark Bites. Materials, 13(22), p.5065.
This study assesses the ability of the SharkStop and ActionTX (shark-bite-resistant materials) to reduce damage from shark bites and compares them to normal neoprene. Nine fabric variations were tested using laboratory-based puncture and laceration tests, and field-based trials on white sharks Carcharodon carcharias. SharkStop and ActionTX fabrics were more resistant to puncture, laceration, and bites from white sharks compared with normal neoprene.
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Whitmarsh, S.K., Amin, D.B., Costi, J.J., Dennis, J.D. and Huveneers, C., 2019. Effectiveness of novel fabrics to resist punctures and lacerations from white shark (Carcharodon carcharias): Implications to reduce injuries from shark bites. PloS one, 14(11), p.e0224432.