Recreational Harvest of Sharks and Rays in Western Australia Is Only a Minor Component of the Total Harvest

Matias Braccini, Eva Lai, Karina Ryan and Stephen Taylor
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Matias Braccini: Australian Fisheries and Marine Research Laboratories, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development of Western Australia, P.O. Box 20, North Beach, WA 6920, Australia
Eva Lai: Australian Fisheries and Marine Research Laboratories, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development of Western Australia, P.O. Box 20, North Beach, WA 6920, Australia
Karina Ryan: Australian Fisheries and Marine Research Laboratories, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development of Western Australia, P.O. Box 20, North Beach, WA 6920, Australia
Stephen Taylor: Australian Fisheries and Marine Research Laboratories, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development of Western Australia, P.O. Box 20, North Beach, WA 6920, Australia

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 11, 1-11

Abstract: Sharks and rays are a global conservation concern with an increasing number of species considered at risk of extinction, mostly due to overfishing. Although the recreational harvest of sharks and rays is poorly documented and generally minimal, it can be comparable to the commercial harvest. In this study, we quantified the recreational harvest of sharks and rays in Western Australia, a region with a marine coastline greater than 20,000 km. A total of 33 species/taxonomic groups were identified, with the harvest dominated by dusky and bronze whalers, blacktip reef sharks, gummy sharks, Port Jackson sharks, wobbegongs, and rays and skates. Eighty-five percent of individuals were released with an unknown status (alive or dead). We found a latitudinal gradient of species composition, with tropical and subtropical species of the genus Carcharhinus dominating in the north and temperate species from a range of families dominating in the south. Overall, our findings showed that the recreational harvest was negligible when compared with commercial landings.

Keywords: catch reconstruction; Eastern Indian Ocean; elasmobranchs; fisheries management; unreported catch; conservation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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