The social and economic dimensions of one of the world’s longest-operating shark fisheries

Matias Braccini; Maddison Watt; Clinton Syers; Nick Blay; Matthew Navarro; Michael Burton

doi:10.1071/MF23094

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

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The social and economic dimensions of one of the world’s longest-operating shark fisheries

Matias Braccini

^A ^* , Maddison Watt ^B , Clinton Syers ^B , Nick Blay ^B , Matthew Navarro ^C and Michael Burton ^C

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Western Australian Fisheries and Marine Research Laboratories, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development of Western Australia, 39 Northside Drive, Hillarys, WA 6920, Australia.

^B Fisheries and Agriculture Resource Management, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development of Western Australia, 1 Nash Street, Perth, WA 6000, Australia.

^C UWA School of Biological Sciences and UWA Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley WA 6009, Australia.

^* Correspondence to: matias.braccini@dpird.wa.gov.au

Handling Editor: Colin Simpfendorfer

Marine and Freshwater Research 75, MF23094 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF23094

Submitted: 10 May 2023 Accepted: 6 March 2024 Published: 4 April 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Context

Social and economic information is limited for coastal commercial and recreational fisheries, particularly shark fisheries, which are perceived as unsustainable and as targeting sharks for fins.

Aims

To characterise the social and economic dimensions of one of the world’s few long-standing sustainable shark fisheries.

Methods

We reviewed historic data and surveyed stakeholders to understand the economic and social dimensions of the shark fishery currently operating in Western Australia.

Key results

Since the fishery’s historic peak, there has been a substantial reduction in the number of operating vessels and ports due to management intervention. For the vessels that have remained, catches and catch rates increased through time. Fishers sold only flesh and fins, whereas processors also sold cartilage. Revenue mostly originates from the domestic sale of flesh, not fins. This fishery provides additional social and economic returns through the employment of an average of 102 people per annum, the supply of local fresh seafood to communities and the expenditure of most of operational costs in local government areas. In addition, the average annual market value through the supply chain was A$32.6 × 10⁶ (US$20.9 × 10⁶).

Conclusions

Our study is the first step towards a more comprehensive valuation of the societal contribution of sustainable shark fisheries.

Implications

This novel information has a range of applications, from developing social and economic objectives in fisheries harvest strategies to empowering government agencies when making decisions on natural resource management.

Keywords: elasmobranchs, environmental, management, perceptions, socio-economics, sustainability, trade, Western Australia.

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