Shark fisheries worldwide are extremely valuable economically though are universally threatened through a combination of high susceptibility to depletion, poor data on levels of fisheries exploitation and uncertainty about what are appropriate levels of exploitation. These facts hold true for the Queensland east coast shark fishery as a high diversity of shark species are harvested through a complex combination of targeted and non-targeted fishing effort spread throughout 18 degrees of latitude. The current data void prevents effectual management, assessment and monitoring; problems well documented by the recent Gunn et al (2008) review of proposed management measures for the Queensland fishery completed for the Hon Peter Garrett MP, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts. The Gunn et al (2008) review put forward 14 conditions and 8 recommendations, most pertinent being to determine exploitation and mortality rates, and improve the understanding of the shark complex with which the fishery interacts through improved reporting, observing and validation.

Significant changes in the management of the Queensland fishery began on 1 July 2009 and include substantial changes including modifications in the way commercial fishers are permitted to harvest shark stocks, as well as improved catch reporting. The need to move forward quickly in gathering information relevant to sustainable use of Queensland sharks is paramount. The Gunn et al 2008 report concluded that on the basis of the poor coverage of some, and complete absence of other data vital for confident management, the proposed management arrangements for the fishery were insufficiently cautious. The proposed project will directly address not only these concerns, but also the key research priorities relevant to shark identified by the Queensland FRAB.

Gunn, J, Meere, F, Stevens, J (2008). Independent review proposed manage,ment arrangements for Queensland’s east coast Inshore Fin Fish Fishery.

Australia is a signatory to the International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (IPOA-Sharks) which was ratified by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) Committee of Fisheries during February 1999. As a signatory, Australia is obliged to develop a National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (NPOA-Sharks).

AFFA has established a Shark Advisory Group to prepare a Shark Assessment Report and to develop the Australian NPOA-Sharks. The Group includes representatives from all key government and non-government stakeholder groups, including shark specialists. Progress on development of the Report and Australia's NPOA-Sharks was reported to the FAO Committee of Fisheries during February 2001.

In addition, through the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture, all Australian Commonwealth and State fisheries ministers have endorsed the National Policy on Fisheries Bycatch, which includes sharks and other chondrichthyans. The Commonwealth has recently released its bycatch policy, which builds on the endorsed National Policy on Fisheries Bycatch and commits the Commonwealth to developing a Bycatch Action Plan for each major Commonwealth fishery by 31 March 2001.

Australia is well placed to meet its international and national obligations for conservation and management of its chondrichthyan species. The major shark fisheries of southern Australia, Western Australia and northern Australia are well documented and are data rich. However, biproduct and bycatch of these species are not well documented.

In south-eastern Australia, most chondrichthyans are taken by the Southern Shark Fishery (SSF) and South East Fishery (SEF). Data on byproduct and bycatch have been collected from the SSF and are currently being analysed (FRDC Project 99/103). In the SEF, data are collected by Integrated Scientific Monitoring Program, but no attempt has been made to analyse the chondrichthyan data.

The present project proposal will not be complete in time to provide results for the first draft of the Australian Shark Assessment Report and NPOA-Sharks. Similarly, it will not be complete in time to prepare Bycatch Action Plans for the SEF (Trawl Sector) and the SSF and SEF (Non-trawl Sector) but the project outputs will be vital inputs to subsequent drafts.

Outputs from the project will assist Environment Australia with two recent initiatives taken under the Commonwealth’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. One relates to the requirement for an Environment Impact Assessment for each Commonwealth managed fishery. The other initiative is the Conservation Overview and Action Plan for Australian Threatened and Potentially Threatened Marine and Estuarine Fishes.