Hon. Jon Ford asks about the location and sustainability issues of the northern shark fishery. Hon. Norman Moore provides details on the fishery's boundaries and highlights concerns regarding sandbar shark catches, black-tip species status, and bycatch.

AnsweredQoN 1021Legislative Council
Asked
10 November 2011
Portfolio
Fisheries

QuestionView source ↗

NORTHERN SHARK FISHERY
I note the recent publishing of the Department of Fisheries annual report and I ask in reference to the northern shark fishery — (1) Where is this fishery and what are its boundaries? (2) What sustainability issues, if any, need to be addressed in this fishery? Hon NORMAN MOORE

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The Western Australian northern shark fishery comprises two fisheries: the state jurisdiction Western Australian north coast fishery, which operates in waters east of 120 degrees east longitude and north of 18 degrees south latitude to Koolan Island. The remaining waters of the fishery, from North West Cape to 18 degrees south latitude, are closed; and the second fishery is the joint authority northern shark fishery, which operates in waters between Koolan Island and the Western Australia–Northern Territory border. (2) The main sustainability issues that need to be addressed in WA’s northern shark fisheries relate to: excessive catches of sandbar sharks taken by demersal longline in recent years; uncertainty surrounding the status of black-tip species taken by gillnet; and bycatch issues and the potential for interactions with protected species.
(1) Where is this fishery and what are its boundaries? (2) What sustainability issues, if any, need to be addressed in this fishery? Hon NORMAN MOORE replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The Western Australian northern shark fishery comprises two fisheries: the state jurisdiction Western Australian north coast fishery, which operates in waters east of 120 degrees east longitude and north of 18 degrees south latitude to Koolan Island. The remaining waters of the fishery, from North West Cape to 18 degrees south latitude, are closed; and the second fishery is the joint authority northern shark fishery, which operates in waters between Koolan Island and the Western Australia–Northern Territory border. (2) The main sustainability issues that need to be addressed in WA’s northern shark fisheries relate to: excessive catches of sandbar sharks taken by demersal longline in recent years; uncertainty surrounding the status of black-tip species taken by gillnet; and bycatch issues and the potential for interactions with protected species.
(2) What sustainability issues, if any, need to be addressed in this fishery? Hon NORMAN MOORE replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The Western Australian northern shark fishery comprises two fisheries: the state jurisdiction Western Australian north coast fishery, which operates in waters east of 120 degrees east longitude and north of 18 degrees south latitude to Koolan Island. The remaining waters of the fishery, from North West Cape to 18 degrees south latitude, are closed; and the second fishery is the joint authority northern shark fishery, which operates in waters between Koolan Island and the Western Australia–Northern Territory border. (2) The main sustainability issues that need to be addressed in WA’s northern shark fisheries relate to: excessive catches of sandbar sharks taken by demersal longline in recent years; uncertainty surrounding the status of black-tip species taken by gillnet; and bycatch issues and the potential for interactions with protected species.
Hon NORMAN MOORE replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The Western Australian northern shark fishery comprises two fisheries: the state jurisdiction Western Australian north coast fishery, which operates in waters east of 120 degrees east longitude and north of 18 degrees south latitude to Koolan Island. The remaining waters of the fishery, from North West Cape to 18 degrees south latitude, are closed; and the second fishery is the joint authority northern shark fishery, which operates in waters between Koolan Island and the Western Australia–Northern Territory border. (2) The main sustainability issues that need to be addressed in WA’s northern shark fisheries relate to: excessive catches of sandbar sharks taken by demersal longline in recent years; uncertainty surrounding the status of black-tip species taken by gillnet; and bycatch issues and the potential for interactions with protected species.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The Western Australian northern shark fishery comprises two fisheries: the state jurisdiction Western Australian north coast fishery, which operates in waters east of 120 degrees east longitude and north of 18 degrees south latitude to Koolan Island. The remaining waters of the fishery, from North West Cape to 18 degrees south latitude, are closed; and the second fishery is the joint authority northern shark fishery, which operates in waters between Koolan Island and the Western Australia–Northern Territory border. (2) The main sustainability issues that need to be addressed in WA’s northern shark fisheries relate to: excessive catches of sandbar sharks taken by demersal longline in recent years; uncertainty surrounding the status of black-tip species taken by gillnet; and bycatch issues and the potential for interactions with protected species.
(1) The Western Australian northern shark fishery comprises two fisheries: the state jurisdiction Western Australian north coast fishery, which operates in waters east of 120 degrees east longitude and north of 18 degrees south latitude to Koolan Island. The remaining waters of the fishery, from North West Cape to 18 degrees south latitude, are closed; and the second fishery is the joint authority northern shark fishery, which operates in waters between Koolan Island and the Western Australia–Northern Territory border. (2) The main sustainability issues that need to be addressed in WA’s northern shark fisheries relate to: excessive catches of sandbar sharks taken by demersal longline in recent years; uncertainty surrounding the status of black-tip species taken by gillnet; and bycatch issues and the potential for interactions with protected species.
(2) The main sustainability issues that need to be addressed in WA’s northern shark fisheries relate to: excessive catches of sandbar sharks taken by demersal longline in recent years; uncertainty surrounding the status of black-tip species taken by gillnet; and bycatch issues and the potential for interactions with protected species.

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