Description

The Western Australian (WA) shark resource includes more than 100 species of sharks and rays.

Key shark species are sustainably harvested in two commercial shark fisheries that provide fresh, local, affordable seafood to the WA community.

The WA shark resource has been in recovery since the 1990s–2000s when stocks were found to be at risk.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) tracks stock status by undertaking periodic weight of evidence stock assessments of indicator species.

Gummy, whiskery, dusky whaler, and sandbar sharks, are the indicator species for the WA shark resource, and make up ~80% of the total shark catch.

This latest assessment provides an update on the recovery of indicator species and for the first time, assesses more than 100 shark species in WA.

The 2024 stock assessment shows that management arrangements have successfully recovered stocks of gummy, whiskery, and sandbar sharks to sustainable levels, whilst dusky whaler sharks are still recovering.

Most non-indicator species are also classed as sustainable stocks.

The current management arrangements within the shark resource, are expected to maintain the sustainability risk of indicator species at acceptable levels.

The next assessment of the WA shark resource is scheduled for 2029.

Publication Date

11-2025

Publisher

Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia

City

Perth

Number of Pages

5

Keywords

Western Australia, shark, ray, shark resource, stock assessment, sustainability

Disciplines

Aquaculture and Fisheries | Environmental Monitoring | Sustainability

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