A morphology-based drowning risk index for rock platform fishing: a case study from southeastern Australia

Abstract

There has been an increase in drownings over recent decades in Australia, particularly among rock fishers swept from the edge of rock platforms. Platform morphology is central to understanding what makes one stretch of coastline more hazardous than another. This paper describes the development of an easily replicable site-specific risk index for rock platforms along the Illawarra coast, southeastern Australia. It can be applied to other microtidal wave-dominated coasts where airborne topographic LiDAR data are available, without requiring nearshore bathymetric data. The index is designed to assess the relative risk of being washed into the sea and will assist coastal managers in an effort to..