Letting Sharks Off the Hook
Investigating the relationship between hook time and survival in the Queensland Shark Control Program
The Queensland Shark Control Program (QSCP) is a bather protection initiative established in 1962 to reduce the risk of shark bites at popular QLD beaches. Since its inception, the program has used baited drum-lines to target sharks potentially dangerous to humans (e.g., large bull and tiger sharks) and either relocate or euthanize them. Given the global conservation status of sharks, it is critical to assess methods that protect bathers while reducing the mortality of targeted species and the number of other shark species and marine megafauna caught in QSCP gear. This is especially important within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP), where the program must comply with the Marine Park Permit G17/33288.1, which mandates avoiding the lethal take of shark species to the greatest extent possible.
Wyatt Albert BBSFS
In this project, I will examine how variations in hooking time—the duration an animal spends on a hook—affect the mortality rate of bull (Carcharhinus leucas) and pigeye (Carcharhinus amboinensis) sharks caught in the program. Additionally, I will assess how varying environmental and biotic factors, such as sea surface temperatures and shark size, influence this mortality rate. To accomplish this, I will utilize historical data from the Townsville SCP and data from the ongoing catch-alert drumline trials in Yeppoon. These trials employ hook timers and satellite technology to inform contractors when a shark is caught, minimising the impact on captured animals.
Dylan Baker
Specific aims of the project include:
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Determine the biotic & abiotic factors which directly influence the at-vessel mortality of bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) and pigeye sharks (Carcharhinus amboinensis).
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Quantify how mortality rates of each of these two species vary as a function of time spent on a hook in two different locations around the Queensland coast.
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Disseminate relevant findings to both the QSCP staff, the general public, and other relevant stakeholders.
Our research team:
Matthew Campbell (QDAF - Senior Fisheries Biologist)
For more information about DAF's Catch alert drumline trial:
