New shark detection system on trial at Sydney beach

Australia's New South Wales state is trialling a new shark detection system at Sydney's famous Bondi beach, which is described as "facial recognition technology for marine life".

Called "Clever Buoy", the 30-day trial system picks up on any animal two metres or longer within a 300-metre radius, sending a signal to lifeguards via an app on their phones, ABC reported.

Bondi beach was hit by a spate of shark attacks in 2015, including one in August that forced the closure of the beach after a surfer sustained serious injuries from a shark mauling.

NSW Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair said it was part of the state government's 16 million Australian dollars (about $11 million) shark strategy.

"We have our 4G system on the north coast which is detecting tagged sharks and now we've got our Clever Buoy in Bondi which we hope has a big future in NSW."

Clever Buoy was designed by Western Australian company Shark Mitigation Systems.

If the Clever Buoys prove successful in the month-long pilot, they will be installed in a year at five other locations throughout the southeastern state, according to the NSW government.