Friends of 16-year-old Stella Berry have paid tribute to the teenager after her tragic death from a shark attack on Saturday afternoon.
Stella died after she was bitten by a shark while swimming near the Fremantle Traffic Bridge in North Fremantle, at about 3pm.
Police were told the Shenton College student had been riding jet skis with friends when she jumped in the water to swim near dolphins.
Ambulances were sent to the scene and despite attempts to save her, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
The City of Fremantle closed the stretch of beach after the incident, and it remained closed on Sunday.
'She was so kind'
Stella’s parents Sophie and Matt released a statement, saying they were devastated and deeply shocked.
“Stella was a vibrant and happy girl with plans of living in Europe after school. She was a caring person and was a dear friend to many, across a variety of schools in the area,” the statement read.
“She had an infectious laugh … Stella loved creating art and spending times with her friends, particularly at the river and beach.
“She was a beautiful and loving big sister and the best daughter we could have hoped for.”
Several of Stella's friends gathered at the river bank in North Fremantle on Sunday.
One of her friends, Lara Connolly, said she was the "sweetest and smartest girl that I knew".
"She never did anything wrong to anybody," Lara said.
"She was so kind. She loved art. I'd ride my bike to see her sometimes and I'd see her running.
"She wanted to run a marathon."
Another friend, Teagan McArthur, said Stella's death "doesn't feel real".
"We were all in contact with her less than 24 hours ago and now she's not here with us," Teagan said.
Premier says river safety will be reviewed
Premier Mark McGowan offered his condolences to Stella's loved ones.
"It must be awfully tragic for them, all our thoughts go to them at this point in time," he said.
"In terms of these events, they're very rare events, but when they happen, it's just awful."
Mr McGowan said the state government would look at what could be done to prevent any similar incidents.
"We did a whole range of things in the ocean to improve safety for people, but the river is different," he said.
"Flying helicopter patrols, it doesn't work, because the river is opaque, it's brown — it's very difficult to find things that work."
WA Fisheries Minister Don Punch said other measures could be considered.
"Shark barriers is something we're always open to talking to local government about in relation to protected swimming areas," he said.
The minister said drum lines are not part of shark mitigation strategy.
Bull shark 'likely' behind attack
While authorities are yet to determine the type of shark involved, Mr Punch said he believed it could be a bull shark.
"We do know that bull sharks, particularly, do enter estuaries and freshwater river systems, so it is likely that may be the case," he said.
He said it was the first fatal shark attack in the Swan River in 100 years.
"The last attack, as I understand it, was 1923, there was a fatality."
"There's only been six recorded historical attacks in the river, and this would make it seven," he said.
The previous river attack was two years ago, when Perth man Cameron Wrathall was severely injured by a bull shark in January 2021.
Mr Wrathall was on his morning swim from Bicton Jetty to Blackwall Reach with a friend when he was bitten, causing severe injuries and massive bleeding.
