Research supports South Australia cage shark-diving

New investigation revealed in Maritime Policy has highlighted the prosperous management of white shark cage-diving in South Australia.

Neptune Islands, off the Eyre Peninsula, remains one particular of the number of sites in the environment and the only spot in Australia to give shark cage-diving.

South Australia’s White Shark Tour Licensing Coverage sets guidelines and rules to be certain white shark tourism at Neptune Islands continues to be environmentally sustainable and socially dependable.

The Department of Surroundings and Water performs carefully with tour operators and exploration companions at Flinders College to make sure that guidelines and administration of white shark tours is evidence-dependent.

The influence of white shark cage-diving tourism on shark residency has been tracked utilizing 20 decades of information gathered by tour operators, and 8 a long time of scientific checking and study.

Professor Charlie Huveneers, Director of Flinders College Marine and Coastal Study Consortium and chief of the Southern Shark Ecology Team, states the assessment is dependent on exploration and monitoring at the Neptune Islands in close proximity to Port Lincoln, wherever shark residency elevated in the late 2000s at the similar time as a rise in cage-diving activity.

“The monitoring method and adaptable administration framework had been carried out to measure the success of the new principles place in place,” he claims.

“White shark residency has returned and remained at baseline concentrations considering the fact that 2013 displaying that enough polices and fantastic market methods can reduce impacts on white sharks and guarantee extended-term sustainable wildlife tourism.”

The area is now an intercontinental focal position for white shark investigate and is raising recognition about white sharks and their conservation.

The two shark cage-diving tour companies functioning at Neptune Islands—Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions and Calypso Star Charters—are integral to the exploration, delivering beneficial data and logistical guidance to assist inform how the sharks are responding to the action.

Deputy Leading and Minister for Climate, Setting and H2o Susan Near says the Point out Government is fully commited to ongoing analysis to continuously enhance knowledge of the outcome of white shark tourism on the sharks themselves.

“These organizations and their dedication to sustainable administration of shark cage-diving have recognized Port Lincoln and the Eyre Peninsula as the leading desired destination for this exercise,” she states.

“Thanks to this partnership, the shark cage diving marketplace continues to prosper in South Australia as it rapid gets to be the global gold regular for this activity.

“White shark cage diving is a special eco-tourism working experience exactly where you can get up near and personal with the biggest predatory fish on the world.”

Analysis and monitoring is continuing, with an further functioning day in the fortnightly tour schedule coming into influence in February 2023.

The article, “Multi-12 months results of wildlife tourism on shark residency and implications for management,” is published in Marine Plan.