<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Surfers are being trained to use shark-spotting drones as part of a new plan to keep our beaches safe all year.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The drone program is being launched in </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/mercury-psillakis-shark-attack-victims-widow-speaks-out-for-first-time-to-push-for-more-protections/861807ac-ddb2-4277-bbd9-8bd19889c666" rel="" target="" title="tribute to boardrider Mercury Psillakis"><span>tribute to boardrider Mercury Psillakis</span></a><span>, who was killed in a shark attack at Dee Why on Sydney's Northern Beaches in September.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>For the Psillakis family, the tragedy of a fatal shark attack remains very raw.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/federal-politics--albanese-warns-fuel-crisis-could-worsen-as-end-to-reduced-excise-looms/d9962dd4-4ad5-4ab5-855d-31255cd7fc5c"><strong><span>'Real uncertainty': Albanese warns fuel crisis could worsen</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But their grief is tempered by the new program, with each drone carrying the 57-year-old's name.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"He'd be proud that he's somewhat responsible for extra safety on our beaches," wife Maria said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"He'd probably cry, knowing Merc."</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/shark-drones-sydney-mercury-psillakis/8d04c91f-a997-4c38-a0bd-cfaa625998e7" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The experienced surfer was fatally bitten by a white shark.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>His brother Michael thinks drones could have saved him.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"If there was a drone in the sky that day, my brother would still be with us," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But it won't be just one; 60 drones are being rolled out from Newcastle to Wollongong.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The government is trying to embrace new technology and new ways of monitoring for sharks and keeping people safe on our beaches," Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But unlike those operated by surf life savers only when patrolling, these will be flown by boardriders clubs during carnivals and training sessions 365 days a year.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Ben Wheeler from Mona Vale Boardriders is one of 125 now undergoing drone pilot training.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I think having that early warning, as was said earlier, is amazing, you know just to keep our members safe in the water," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The drone program will cost $650,000 out of a $30 million shark safety budget.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We saw activity from bull sharks over the summer and now we're heading into a period where we'll see more white sharks on our beaches and waterways, so I'd encourage people to download the Shark Smart app," Moriarty said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>That app tracks in real time sharks that have been tagged, alerting surfers to any activity on their local beach.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>While these require a pilot to fly, the next generation of fully automated drones with AI technology able to identify sharks and shark species and able to fly from dawn until dusk is already being considered.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It's the legacy of a hero surfer who in the face of an attack, tried to warn others.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It's just upsetting he's not here to see it," Maria said.</span></div></div>