Improving outcomes of fisher interactions with sharks, rays, and chimaeras

A consortium of recreational fishing advocates, fisheries managers, and marine scientists from Monash University, Victorian Recreational Fishing Peak Body (VRFish), Flinders University, and the Victorian Fisheries Authority collaborated to create best-practice capture, handling, and release guidelines for recreational fishing of sharks and rays. The guidelines were communicated to the recreational fishing community in southern Australia by creating of a multi-media extension campaign called Shark Mates. Informational resources, such as a best-practice guidelines booklet, six YouTube videos, a website, stickers and brochures, are now available to the public and are being promoted through the peak recreational fishing body in Victoria, VRFish. Prior to the creation of the guidelines and subsequent extension activities, a national workshop was conducted in collaboration with SARDI in Adelaide to discuss current knowledge related to handling and post-release survival of sharks and rays (Reina et al., 2020). Priority species were identified at the workshop and a vulnerability analysis was conducted to assess all anthropogenic risks to these species. A survey of over 1000 recreational fishers was then conducted to assess current behaviours and attitudes of the community fishing of sharks and rays which then informed the Shark Mates extension campaign. The educational resources created for Shark Mates enable improved outcomes during capture and release of sharks and rays. 

A need for fisher behavioural change in the capture of sharks and rays in recreational fisheries was identified after a series of ethical incidents impacting the social licence of fishing in southern Australia. The goal of this project was to develop and further refine best-practice capture, handling, and release guidelines for sharks and rays to ensure safety of fishers and improved outcomes for sharks and rays.

The objectives of this project were to:

1. Cause behavioural change of fishers in their interactions with captured sharks, rays and chimaeras in Victoria.

2. Form an expert steering committee to oversee and guide this project and the SARDI project addressing recreational fisheries’ impact on sharks, rays and chimaeras.

3. Execute an informed, comprehensive, cost-effective and targeted communications strategy leading to behavioural change in Victorian fishers.

4. Complete a vulnerability risk analysis of chondrichthyan species impacted by recreational fishing in Victorian waters.

5. Co-host a multi-jurisdictional workshop with SARDI to identify species of importance, develop and agree upon capture, handling and release protocols for chondrichthyans across states to ensure high post-release survival and humane treatment of these sharks and rays and the safety of fishers.

In 2019, the vulnerability risk analysis was completed (Walker et al., 2021) along with the national workshop (Reina et al., 2020). The results of the recreational fisher survey highlight that a large proportion of respondents, 84%, are concerned with the behaviour of other fishers. In 2020, we designed the best-practice guidelines and educational materials and completed filming of a series of six informational videos accessible online. The Shark Mates extension campaign was launched in early 2021, involving the development of a website and social media accounts including instructional YouTube videos. These useful informational resources remain available to the recreational fishing community. There has been some good initial support for the extension campaign by members of the recreational fishing community. The most successful platform used by the campaign at the moment is Instagram, with 130 followers of Shark Mates on that platform. The continued upkeep of communications about best-practice guidelines for shark and ray fishing, achieved specifically by regular maintenance and updating of the Shark Mates website and social media channels is advised. Further effort to disseminate the information to a larger proportion of the recreational fishing community is also encouraged. With adoption and championing of best-practice behaviours within the recreational fishing community outcomes from interactions with sharks and rays during fishing will continue to improve.