FISHERIES scientists have put a new twist on animal magnetism, testing the power of iron magnets to repel sharks from barramundi nets.

The project is the brainchild of James Cook University honours student Damien Rigg, who has worked with the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries to test the magnet’s repulsive powers in tanks at Cairns Marine.

Yesterday, fisheries biologist Stirling Peverell said: "If you can picture a shark swimming in the water, and a magnet.

"It veers away from the (magnetic) effect. It’s not a violent reaction in that it bites the magnet, but it swims away quickly."

The magnets could save fishermen time and trouble disentangling protected species – and keep vulnerable sharks safe.

"Obviously some animals die," Mr Peverell said.

"If we can limit the amount of interaction, it’s obviously a better solution."

The next step will be to test them at sea.

"That’s going to be a little bit difficult," Mr Peverell said.

"The magnets that we used are quite heavy. So we’ve got to look at a different way of attaching them to the net."

Mr Rigg said it was unlikely the magnets would curb shark attacks on humans.

"We don’t believe the magnets would be sufficient to effectively prevent shark attacks on humans (and) we need to confirm if it’s logistically possible to use such magnets in an offshore fishery," he said.

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