❓ Hon James Hayward asks about shark stock assessments and potential management strategies. The Minister provides information on existing assessments and explains why active targeting of sharks is not being considered.
AnsweredQoN 140Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
SHARKS
140. Hon
JAMES HAYWARD to the parliamentary secretary representing the Minister
for Fisheries:
I refer to Western Australia's
shark population.
(1) Will the minister table the most
recent period stock assessments for the following shark species —
(a) great white shark;
(b) tiger shark;
(c) bull shark; and
(d) bronze whaler shark?
(2) What
analysis has the government conducted to ascertain if current shark numbers are
healthy for the natural ecosystem, or if there is an imbalance of sharks in the
ecosystem?
(3) Will the
minister consider implementing incentives for some shark species to be actively
targeted by fishers if there is an imbalance in shark numbers in the natural
ecosystem?
140. Hon
JAMES HAYWARD to the parliamentary secretary representing the Minister
for Fisheries:
I refer to Western Australia's
shark population.
(1) Will the minister table the most
recent period stock assessments for the following shark species —
(a) great white shark;
(b) tiger shark;
(c) bull shark; and
(d) bronze whaler shark?
(2) What
analysis has the government conducted to ascertain if current shark numbers are
healthy for the natural ecosystem, or if there is an imbalance of sharks in the
ecosystem?
(3) Will the
minister consider implementing incentives for some shark species to be actively
targeted by fishers if there is an imbalance in shark numbers in the natural
ecosystem?
AnswerView source ↗
I
thank the member for some notice of the question and I provide the following
answer on behalf of the parliamentary secretary representing the
Minister for Fisheries.
(1) The
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development undertakes regular
stock assessments of key commercially targeted species such as whiskery sharks,
gummy sharks, sandbar sharks and dusky whalers.
The status of the populations for these species is updated every one to two
years through monitoring of fishery
catches and effort. For other shark species that are caught less frequently,
including bronze whalers and tiger sharks, time series of historic
catches is supporting an initial level of assessment.
(a) White sharks
in Western Australia form part of the southern western population. The most
recent assessment for this population was undertaken by the CSIRO in 2018. I seek
leave to table a document.
[Leave granted. See paper 2043 .]
(b) The first
stock assessment for this species is currently being undertaken by DPIRD using
historical catch data.
(c) A stock
assessment has not been undertaken for this species because the level of
capture in WA is negligible.
(d) The first stock assessment for this species is
currently being undertaken by DPIRD using historical catch data.
(2) The normal situation for marine ecosystems is for
sharks and their prey to be in balance. The most common imbalances that
have been scientifically identified are where shark populations have been
significantly reduced. In WA some commercially exploited species have needed
management intervention which required reductions in commercial fishing for
these shark species over recent decades. These populations are still recovering
to more sustainable levels that would not exceed those associated with a healthy,
balanced ecosystem.
(3) No.
thank the member for some notice of the question and I provide the following
answer on behalf of the parliamentary secretary representing the
Minister for Fisheries.
(1) The
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development undertakes regular
stock assessments of key commercially targeted species such as whiskery sharks,
gummy sharks, sandbar sharks and dusky whalers.
The status of the populations for these species is updated every one to two
years through monitoring of fishery
catches and effort. For other shark species that are caught less frequently,
including bronze whalers and tiger sharks, time series of historic
catches is supporting an initial level of assessment.
(a) White sharks
in Western Australia form part of the southern western population. The most
recent assessment for this population was undertaken by the CSIRO in 2018. I seek
leave to table a document.
[Leave granted. See paper 2043 .]
(b) The first
stock assessment for this species is currently being undertaken by DPIRD using
historical catch data.
(c) A stock
assessment has not been undertaken for this species because the level of
capture in WA is negligible.
(d) The first stock assessment for this species is
currently being undertaken by DPIRD using historical catch data.
(2) The normal situation for marine ecosystems is for
sharks and their prey to be in balance. The most common imbalances that
have been scientifically identified are where shark populations have been
significantly reduced. In WA some commercially exploited species have needed
management intervention which required reductions in commercial fishing for
these shark species over recent decades. These populations are still recovering
to more sustainable levels that would not exceed those associated with a healthy,
balanced ecosystem.
(3) No.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.