The principal of thehighschool attended by Stella Berry, who was killed by a shark while swimming in Perth's Swan River, has written a movingtribute to the teenin an email to the grieving school community.
Key points:
- Stella Berry, 16, died after a shark bite on Saturday
- A shark expert says little is known about their numbers in the river
- The Fremantle mayor has flagged potential shark barriers in the area
Police were told Stella, 16,had spotted dolphins in the Swan River in North Fremantle on Saturday afternoon and had jumped into the water to swim with them.
She was bitten by a shark, and despite attempts to save her, was pronounced dead at the scene.
It was the first fatal shark attack in the river since 1923.
Shenton Collegeprincipal, Michael Morgan, describedStella as a "star".
"Stella came to us last year – and I think it would be fair to say that at her enrolment we knew that we were inheriting a very special individual," Mr Morgan wrote.
"She came to us with a clear sense of what she wanted from the school and an impressive sense of conviction about where she was at in her life and what she hoped to achieve.
"Stella illuminated classrooms and friendships with laughter and a smile."
"It speaks volumes of who she was, that in the relatively brief period of time that she has been part of our direct school community, her light has shone on so many people."
Mr Morgan said Stella's exemplary character would continue to leave an impact on the community at Shenton College.
"We will try and continue to live out the values that Stella showed us," he said.
"That is how Shenton will pay tribute to this shining light.
"I hope we will remember Stella by living out her values and attributes.
"I hope we will continue to be resilient during times of struggle and compassionate of others in need. I hope we maintain our adventurous spirit and inclusive way of being."
Mayor flags shark barriers
Meanwhile, ashark expert and the Fremantle mayor say there isnot enough awareness about the presence of sharks in the river.
City of Fremantle mayor Hannah Fitzhardinge said she wasn't aware of any signage in the area warning people about sharks in the river.
"I'd actually been swimming around the corner from Northbank where the incident happened … it was a bit of a shock … the shock of people playing in the river one minute, and then this happening," she told ABC Radio Perth.
"Having grown up in North Freo and swam in the river all my life, I really wasn't aware of the number of bull sharks that do live in our river system."
Fisheries minister Don Punchsaid on Sundaythe shark involved was "likely" a bull shark, but authorities werestill investigating the incident.
Ms Fitzhardinge said the City would consider shark barriers in light of the incident.
"There's going to have to be some science going into that and having a look at which beaches might be practical in the Fremantle area … certainly it's something we could consider here," she said.
River shark study needed: expert
Shark scientist Dr Leonardo Guida from the Australian Marine Conservation Society said learning more about sharks and theirecosystems was the easiest way to prevent future attacks.
"It's a fundamental, and that is improving people's awareness and education about these animals and how the river systems work," he told ABC Radio Perth.
"Sharks are one of those species where we actually don't have a really good idea of their numbers.
"It'd be great to see [the Department of] Fisheries undertake these population assessments."
Dr Guida said it was unclearhow many sharks were actually in the Swan River where Stella was bitten.
"Any practices of fishing for large fish in particular, or the dumping of fish waste near bathing grounds or areas popular with people swimming, have the potential to attracts sharks to an area," he said.
"Over time people can get the sense of, yes, there are more sharks around me – but that's probably because of sharks moving in,as opposed to their population as a whole."
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) said it had stopped patrolling the water near the Fremantle Traffic Bridge, where Stella was attacked, on Sunday night.
The department said it wasliaising with the City of Fremantle to assess when the stretch of beach, which has been closed since Saturday, will be reopened.
Posted, updated
