❓ A WA parliamentary question regarding the Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development's shark tagging program near Garden Island in October 2019, focusing on reporting practices and receiver activations. The response clarifies tagging protocols and target species.
AnsweredQoN 5950Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development’s (DPIRD) shark tagging program and shark
monitoring network, and ask: (a) Did DPIRD officers tag a number of sharks near
Garden Island between 4 – 14 October 2019; (b) On what dates were the sharks tagged; (c) Of those tagged, please provide a breakdown by species
and length; (d) What were the circumstances of the sharks being tagged; (e) Why were the shark taggings not reported on either the
SharkSmart website or Surf Life Saving WA Twitter feed; (f) Have any of the sharks tagged activated any of the
DPIRD’s monitoring receivers; and (g) Please provide a breakdown of dates and locations of
receiver activations in (f)?
monitoring network, and ask: (a) Did DPIRD officers tag a number of sharks near
Garden Island between 4 – 14 October 2019; (b) On what dates were the sharks tagged; (c) Of those tagged, please provide a breakdown by species
and length; (d) What were the circumstances of the sharks being tagged; (e) Why were the shark taggings not reported on either the
SharkSmart website or Surf Life Saving WA Twitter feed; (f) Have any of the sharks tagged activated any of the
DPIRD’s monitoring receivers; and (g) Please provide a breakdown of dates and locations of
receiver activations in (f)?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
10 March 2020
Responded by
Minister for Fisheries
Response time
6 days
(a) Yes. (b) 11 October 2019.
(c) Bronze Whaler, 215 cm fork length / Tiger shark, 228 cm fork length.
(d) As a part of DPIRD’s shark hazard mitigation program officers undertake targeted and opportunistic fishing for white sharks. The fishing effort over the period in question was part of this program.
(e) Tagging events are only reported when officers interact with, or observe, a target species during their operations. The target species are white shark, although other sharks that are over 3 m in length are also reported (e.g. tiger sharks). Given neither of the captured sharks within the period in question fit these criteria, they were not reported. (f) Tiger sharks and bronze whalers are not target species of DPIRD’s shark hazard mitigation tagging program, therefore neither specimens were fitted with an acoustic tag and so are unable to trigger any acoustic receivers in the Shark Monitoring Network.
(g) Not applicable.
(c) Bronze Whaler, 215 cm fork length / Tiger shark, 228 cm fork length.
(d) As a part of DPIRD’s shark hazard mitigation program officers undertake targeted and opportunistic fishing for white sharks. The fishing effort over the period in question was part of this program.
(e) Tagging events are only reported when officers interact with, or observe, a target species during their operations. The target species are white shark, although other sharks that are over 3 m in length are also reported (e.g. tiger sharks). Given neither of the captured sharks within the period in question fit these criteria, they were not reported. (f) Tiger sharks and bronze whalers are not target species of DPIRD’s shark hazard mitigation tagging program, therefore neither specimens were fitted with an acoustic tag and so are unable to trigger any acoustic receivers in the Shark Monitoring Network.
(g) Not applicable.
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