One group's strategy for saving sharks: buy a commercial fishing license
An Australian conservation group has bought a commercial shark fishing license -- with the intention of saving the animal.
WWF-Australia has spent A$100,000 (US$76,140) on one of Queensland's five N4 fishery licenses, which allows operators to catch sharks and grey mackerel in a net up to 1.2 kilometres (0.74 miles) long.
The organisation is now seeking funds to help cover the cost of the license purchase, which could be beneficial in not only saving sharks, but other marine life in the Great Barrier Reef region.
You May Also Like
"This will save at least 10,000 sharks each year, prevent dugongs, turtles and dolphins being killed as bycatch, and help the Reef heal after the worst coral bleaching in its history," Gilly Llewellyn, WWF-Australia conservation director, said in a statement via email.
The N4 license allows fishing in an area between just south of Maryborough to the Torres Strait, encompassing a large area of the Great Barrier Reef.
"This is an opportunity for people to help stop a massive 1.2 km long net from sitting in Reef waters and indiscriminately killing almost everything that swims into it," she said.
"These enormous nets kill tens of thousands of juvenile sharks each year, including hammerheads which are listed internationally as endangered. Hammerhead numbers have crashed in Queensland, possibly by 80%."
The license purchased by WWF-Australia hasn't been used for shark fishing since 2004, but, according to the group, it was used to catch an average of 10,000 sharks a year between 1993 and 2004. In one year, the license helped capture 48,000 sharks.
The purchase of the license coincides with a sharp rise in the capture of rays and sharks, according to Queensland government figures. Around 402 tonnes (395 imperial tons) were captured in 2015, compared to 222 tonnes (218 imperial tons) in 2014 -- which is around 100,000 sharks caught in 2015, based on an average shark weight of 4 kilograms.
Because sharks are slow to mature and produce relatively few offspring, they are in decline in the Great Barrier Reef and around the world. It makes them particularly vulnerable to fishing pressure, according to WWF-Australia.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
