These have included drones to keep watch from above, wetsuits that ruin their appetite and even controversial culling programs. Now a new study is throwing further weight behind the slightly older idea of using electrical pulses to scare off would-be predators by overstimulating their senses, with a comprehensive study finding a device called Shark Shield can deter attacks 90 percent of the time.

The Shark Shield works by emitting low-frequency electrical fields from either an ankle bracelet, leg strap for scuba divers or a device fitted to the tail end of a surfboard. Two electrodes are integrated into the device and create a three-deminsional electronic field when submerged in water, designed to cause the animal's ultra-sensitive electro-receptive system to go into overdrive.