HSI is fully committed to the conservation of sharks and rays in Australia and around the world through our work to end lethal shark control programs, champion threatened species protections and advocate for an end to unsustainable shark fishing.
Ending shark culling programs
Australia’s east coast shark culling programs are outdated, ineffective and disastrous for marine animals. Nets and baited hooks called drumlines entangle and kill hundreds of marine animals including dolphins, whales, turtles, rays and sharks every year in a misguided attempt at public safety. HSI works to bring these harmful and ineffective programs to an end in favour of modern beach-safety measures like surveillance drones, personal shark deterrents, technology-driven alert systems and education programs.
In 2019, HSI was successful in a legal challenge against the operation of lethal drumlines in the Great Barrier Reef. Now, sharks are no longer able to be shot and killed when caught on drumlines in the Reef. As of 2021, the QLD Department of Agriculture and Fisheries has also begun trials of drone surveillance and non-lethal Catch Alert drumlines as a result of the court decision and public opposition to the culling. Much work remains to be done, but the shooting of sharks in the Great Barrier Reef has ended, and we are confident in securing better outcomes for sharks, marine wildlife, ocean ecosystems, and public safety.
In New South Wales, HSI led an effort that saw a majority of local councils with shark nets installed on their beaches formally call for the shark nets to be removed. Instead they are calling for drone surveillance, SMART drumlines and other non-lethal alternatives. NSW has recently announced a new Shark Management Strategy with significantly increased funding for drones and SMART drumlines and while the shark nets remain for now, progress is being made in the campaign for their removal, thanks to persistent advocacy and community involvement.
Unsustainable fisheries
HSI is an NGO representative in a number of fisheries stakeholder groups where we advocate for better management to prevent the capture of sharks and rays in fisheries and we use awareness raising strategies to reduce demand.
Conservation
With scientific nominations HSI has secured crucial legal protections for imperilled shark species such as the grey nurse, great white, scalloped hammerhead and school shark, and the Harrison’s, southern and endeavour dogfish, with many more threatened species nominations underway.
We play a significant role in international conservation instruments such as CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) and CMS (Convention on Migratory Species) to promote the conservation and recovery of threatened shark and ray species and cooperation between the national waters sharks migrate between.
Since 2018 HSI’s shark conservation work in Australia has been supported by the Shark Conservation Fund in a partnership with the Australian Marine Conservation Society.