Save our endangered sharks

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Dear Minister Plibersek and Minister Collins,

I’m contacting you concerned about the impact that commercial fishing is having on our threatened species of sharks and rays (elasmobranchs), including those unique to Australian waters (i.e. endemic).

Overfishing by Australia’s commercial fisheries, particularly in southeastern waters of Australia, is responsible for the ongoing decline of several species of elasmobranchs. One third (33%) of Australia’s threatened elasmobranchs are endemic, the majority of which are experiencing ongoing declines from the Commonwealth-managed Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (SESSF) [1].

I am horrified that it is still legal to fish for endangered and critically endangered species in Australian waters for the consumption of meat and fins, both domestically and internationally.
Up to 50,000 individual (200t) Endangered scalloped hammerheads can be fished per year [2].
Endangered greeneye spurdog sold as ‘flake’ was detected by DNA in a Victorian fish shop [3].
Critically Endangered whitefin swellshark averaged up to 1,550 individuals* (6,198 kg) caught per year between 2019 and 2022 [4]:
Endangered school is being overfished with more than 15,000 individuals** (225 t) killed for their meat in 2023-24 [5].

Alarmingly, critically endangered whitefin swellsharks, amongst several other uniquely Australian and threatened elasmobranchs, have no fishing rules in place to protect them and are recommended by Australia’s leading shark scientists for priority listing under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) [1].

The world’s most iconic species call Australia home and yet are still exposed to overfishing in our waters. There has been no measurable recovery in Australia’s threatened elasmobranchs listed under the EPBC Act [7]. Endangered sawfish are impacted by state-managed gillnet fisheries (e.g. QLD Gulf of Carpentaria Inshore Fishery; NT Barramundi Fishery) and Commonwealth-managed trawl fisheries (e.g. Northern Prawn Fishery) across northern Australia, their last global stronghold [1,8]. Critically endangered grey nurse sharks, numbering around 2,200 individuals, have seen protections from fishing in sanctuary areas significantly reduced.

Accurately measuring the impact of Australian fisheries on threatened species populations is crucial. Reported catch data is generally poor for our lesser known endemic elasmobranchs across Australian fisheries. Often many aren't reported to species-level, and in several fisheries discard reporting is entirely absent.

For elasmobranchs, Australia is both a global hotspot of biodiversity and one of 21 global extinction-risk hotspots [9]. The Australian Government has committed to ‘no new extinctions’, a welcome ambition, and to achieve this for elasmobranchs we urge you to implement and support the following across Australian fisheries:

- Protect threatened species as ‘no take’ species under law and make actions to support their recovery mandatory, with sufficient funding to achieve them.
- Protect critical habitats from fishing through the establishment of sanctuary zones
- Implement regular and robust observer programs, including 100% electronic monitoring (i.e. cameras) on all vessels.
- Improve Bycatch Reduction Devices (‘escape hatches’) to minimise the catch of threatened species in the first place.
- Improve and prioritise data collection for data-poor species. This includes reporting what sharks and rays are caught and discarded to species-level.
- Training fishers to safely handle sharks and rays to maximise the animal’s chances of survival when released.

Improving the environmental performance in these fisheries is critical, not just for our sharks and rays, but for all of Australia’s ocean wildlife.

Sources:

1. Kyne, P.M. et al (2021) The Action Plan for Australian Sharks and Rays 2021. Hobart: NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub
2. Rigby, C. (2024) Expert Scientific Advice to Inform the CITES Non-Detriment Finding for Scalloped Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrna lewini). Report for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Australia: Self published.
3. Kielniacz, TJP., Stow, AJ., Armansin, NC. (2024) High Levels of Mislabelling of Shark Flesh in Australian Fish Markets and Seafood Shops. Marine and Freshwater Research 75, no. 7. https://doi.org/10.1071/MF23198.
4. Australian Fisheries Management Authority Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery Catch Disposal Records 2019-2022.
5. Butler, I., Patterson, H., Bromhead, D., Galeano, D., Timmiss, T., Woodhams, J., & Curtotti, R. (2024). Fishery status reports 2024. Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences. Canberra, Australia.
6. Daley, R., Gray, C. (2020) On-the-water management solutions to halt the decline and support the recovery of Australia’s endemic elasmobranchs. (WildFish Research Consultancy & Horizon Consultancy. Self published, Australia.)
7. Rayns, N. (2019) Review of Recover Planning for Threatened Sharks: Status, Analysis & Future Directions. Australia: Self published
8. Yan, H.F. (2021) “Overfishing and Habitat Loss Drive Range Contraction of Iconic Marine Fishes to near Extinction.” Science Advances 7, no. 7: eabb6026
9. Stein, R.W. et al. (2018) Global priorities for conserving the evolutionary history of sharks, rays and chimaeras. Nat. Ecol. Evol. 2, 288–298.
10. Davidson, L. & Dulvy, N.K. (2017) Global marine protected areas to prevent extinctions. Nat. Ecol. Evol. 1, 0040.

*conservative estimate of 4kg per shark.
**conservative estimate of 15kg per shark.

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Australia is the world’s lifeboat for some of the most endangered sharks and rays. But when it’s possible to eat endangered species legally fished from Aussie waters, it’s clear our ‘lifeboat’ has some serious holes in it.

Without any action, the silent extinction crisis beneath the waves will continue. Uniquely Australian species could disappear before we even get a chance to know them, endangered hammerheads are still being fished for fins and meat, and iconic species like sawfish may no longer cruise the coasts and rivers across northern Australia.

Without drastic action, uniquely Australian species could disappear before we even get a chance to know them. We can’t let that happen.

We must act now. Send your email and urge the Australian Government to overhaul our most destructive fisheries.

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