Priorities Action Statement - Actions for the shark meshing program in NSW waters (KTP)

Threat Abatement Actions

Collate and review existing information

• Access/review data collected by various organisations on threatened and protected species movements and habitat usage within and around meshed beaches (High priority).
• Review the application of other shark control measures for use in NSW (High priority).
• Review the mesh net configurations to minimise impacts on non-target species and ensure that the Shark Meshing Program does not jeopardise the survival or conservation status of threatened species, populations and ecological communities, or cause species that are not threatened to become threatened (High priority).
• Review data on shark interactions with the Shark Meshing Program and beach usage (Medium priority).
• Review data on temporal and spatial factors affecting the operation of the Shark Meshing Program (Medium priority).

Community and stakeholder liaison, awareness and education

• Prepare and distribute consistent educational advisory material on the Shark Meshing Program to the public  (Medium priority).

Enhance, modify or implement NRM planning processes to minimize adverse impacts on threatened species

• Implement the management plan for the NSW Shark Meshing (Bather Protection) Program (High priority).

Research / monitoring

• Maintain accurate records of sharks captured, released and/or killed by the SMP in NSW (High priority).
• Record and report all interactions of the SMP with threatened and protected species (High priority).
• Implement the Strategic Research and Monitoring Program (High priority).
• In conjunction with relevant stakeholders, develop a research program to monitor and reduce the impact of shark control activities on threatened species, as well as non-target species caught such as marine mammals and turtles (High priority).
• Retain all carcasses of dead threatened species, marine mammals and turtles for scientific research purposes (High priority).
• Undertake research into mid-water set nets to reduce the impact of shark meshing on demersal species (High priority).
• Support research into shark control programs including examining the effectiveness of the program and ways of reducing the accidental capture of non-target species (High priority).
• Continue preparing monthly catch summary reports to the Fisheries Scientific Committee, NSW Scientific Committee and Office of Environment and Heritage (Medium priority).
• Continue to prepare the Shark Meshing Program Annual Performance Evaluation Report in accordance with the JMA (Medium priority).
• Continue tagging all sharks caught in shark mesh to provide vital data on recaptures as well as general biology and spatial and temporal movements (Medium priority).