Greens initiative to boost shark research with central role for Hobart

Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, spokesperson on Tasmanian marine issues, said today that the Australian Greens initiative to identify the threats facing Australia’s shark population will boost funding for a national effort in which Hobart has a central role and that increased shark research and monitoring would play a part in increasing public safety.

“As a surfer I have a great respect for and fascination with sharks – they are amazing and often misunderstood creatures,” Senator Whish-Wilson said.

“We don’t know enough about sharks. Many of our shark species are vulnerable and endangered, and our understanding of them is very limited.

“By better understanding our shark population and changes in their behaviour patterns, we will be better equipped to ensure people can continue to enjoy our beautiful beaches with the utmost safety.

“Our initiative, Living With Sharks – Investing in Research, will supplement existing shark research and monitoring by providing an extra $6 million over 3 years for research into changes in the population and behaviour of shark species listed as critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The results will be publicly available and used to inform policy decision-making.

“A further investment in both shark tagging and in maintaining the transmitter network would support the dataset currently collected in the CSIRO’s purpose-developed electronic tag database in Hobart.

“This is the only way that we can understand the changes in their populations and behaviour and the effects of climate change and human activity.

“Almost half the world’s shark species live in Australian waters and nine of these are listed as threatened, including the magnificent Whale Shark.

“Climate change is a new pressure however we have very little understanding about how this is affecting our sharks.

“Changes in shark behaviour have been linked to warming oceans, but the reality is that there is still insufficient information for us to draw any conclusions about their behaviour.

“The Greens plan can deliver strong outcomes for public safety and the environment alike,” Senator Whish-Wilson concluded.

LIVING WITH SHARKS – INVESTING IN RESEARCH

The Greens’ plan for shark research and monitoring will provide an extra $6 million over 3 years for:

– scientific studies of the population and behaviour of shark species listed as critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999;
– tagging programs through CSIRO;
– the satellite monitoring equipment that is required to run a comprehensive study into our sharks.

The results will be publicly available and used to inform policy decision-making.
Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, spokesperson on Tasmanian marine issues