Australian Coral Reef Society Inc.

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The sharks targeted in this program are apex predators on coral reef ecosystems, and serve a ... According to the statis
Australian Coral Reef Society Inc. A society promoting scientific study of Australian Coral Reefs Address:

Tel: Fax: Email:

ACRS Correspondence c/- Biological Sciences The University of Queensland St Lucia QLD 4072 (07) 3365 1686 (07) 3365 1655 [email protected]

    To:    Great  Barrier  Reef  Marine  Park  Authority     Assessments  and  Permissions  Team  PO  Box  1379   Townsville  QLD  4810       29  November  2015     RE:  Comments  on  the  Expansion  of  the  Great  Barrier  Reef  Marine  Parks  Shark  Control   Program  Associated  with  application  G33288.1         Dear  Sir/Madam:   The  Australian  Coral  Reef  Society  is  the  professional  organisation  for  coral  reef  scientists   and  managers  in  Australia  and  is  focused  on  the  study  and  protection  of  coral  reefs.  We   have  approximately  300  members  and,  since  our  inception  in  1922,  have  played  a   prominent  role  in  bringing  major  conservation  issues  to  the  attention  of  governments  and   the  general  public.  The  society  regularly  provides  advice  on  marine  issues  to  governments   and  agencies.     The  Australian  Coral  Reef  Society  would  like  to  write  in  strong  opposition  to  further   deployment  of  nets  and  drumlines  on  the  Great  Barrier  Reef.  Since  the  inception  of  the   Queensland  Shark  Control  Program  (QSCP)  in  1962,  there  have  been  over  3300  large  sharks   killed.  The  sharks  targeted  in  this  program  are  apex  predators  on  coral  reef  ecosystems,  and   serve  a  valuable  and  important  role  in  population  control  of  lower  trophic  levels  (Estes  et  al.   2011).  By  removing  these  important  animals,  cascading  effects  will  be  felt  on  reefs  along   the  GBR  (see  below).  The  efficacy  of  these  procedures  have  been  called  into  question   before  (Curtis  et  al.  2012),  and  should  be  addressed  before  additional  impacts  to  the  health   of  the  GBR  are  felt.  In  particular  there  are  3  areas  of  main  concern  to  the  Australian  Coral   Reef  Society:     1.  The  Mortality  of  Bycatch   Bycatch  is  a  fish  or  other  marine  species  that  is  caught  unintentionally  while  targeting   certain  species  (e.g.,  sharks).  According  to  the  statistics  released  by  the  QSCP,  over  one-­‐ third  of  bycatch  on  drum  lines  deployed  for  the  Shark  Control  Program  resulted  in  death   President: Hon Secretary: Hon Treasurer:

Prof David Booth; Tel: 02 9514 4053; Fax: 02 9514 4079; Email: [email protected] 1 Dr O. Selma Klanten; Tel: 0417 341 941; Fax: 02 9514 4079; Email: [email protected] Dr Jennifer Donelson; Tel: 0402 062 046; Fax: 02 9514 4079; Email: [email protected]

Australian Coral Reef Society Inc. A society promoting scientific study of Australian Coral Reefs Address:

Tel: Fax: Email:

ACRS Correspondence c/- Biological Sciences The University of Queensland St Lucia QLD 4072 (07) 3365 1686 (07) 3365 1655 [email protected]

(Table  1).  Furthermore,  the  condition  of  the  bycatch  animals  released  alive  is  unknown,  and   their  ability  to  survive  after  release  is  likewise  highly  uncertain.  Among  the  animals  caught   are  federally  protected  species  of  turtles  and  fish.  Listed  species  that  have  been  caught  as   bycatch  include  EPBC  listed  vulnerable  species  of  humpback  whales,  green,  hawksbill  and   flatback  turtles,  and  the  Queensland  sawfish.  Additional  animals  that  are  listed  as   vulnerable  on  the  IUCN  red  list  that  were  caught  include  dugongs,  dolphins,  and  rays.       Table  1.  Data  collated  from  Tables  2-­‐6  of  the  public  information  packet  of  the  Great  Barrier   Reef  Marine  Parks  Shark  Control  Program,  associated  with  application  G33288.1.  Figures   represent  numbers  of  animals  caught  between  a  10-­‐year  period  (2005-­‐2014)   #  Caught  in   #  Caught  on   #  Released   Nets   Drumlines   Alive   #  Killed   %  Death     Target   Shark   species   169   3198   NA   3367   100   Bycatch             Sharks   38   165   184   19   9.4   Dolphin   9   4   5   8   61.5   Turtle   28   22   44   6   12.0   Dugong   4   1   1   4   80.0   Ray     213   40   150   103   40.7   Other   4   130   44   90   67.2   Total  Bycatch   296   362   428   230   35.0         Total  #  Bycatch   658         %  Death  of  Bycatch   34.95%       In  particular,  dugongs  are  highly  vulnerable  to  human  impact  due  in  part  to  low  population   sizes,  slow  individual  and  population  growth  rates,  and  long  generation  times  (Marsh  2002).   Dugong  populations  along  the  coast  of  Queensland,  Australia,  are  found  close  to  developed   urban  centres  with  significant  industrial  and  coastal  activity  (Marsh  and  Lawler  2001a,   2001b).  The  total  of  dugong  bycatch  in  the  QSCP  over  the  first  30  years  of  operation   showed  significant  declines  in  dugong  populations  occurring  along  the  entire  developed   Queensland  coast,  to  approximately  3%  of  1960  population  levels  (Marsh  et  al.  2001,  2005).   While  the  netting  techniques  used  at  that  time  are  no  longer  in  use,  dugongs  have  still  been   caught  (5  in  the  last  10  years)  and  this  catch  has  resulted  in  an  80%  individual  mortality   rate.       Percent  mortality  of  bycatch  has  not  decreased,  causing  great  concern  to  ACRS  (as  seen  in   the  figure  to  the  left).  While  the  total  number  of  bycatch  is  decreasing,  any  mortality  of   President: Hon Secretary: Hon Treasurer:

Prof David Booth; Tel: 02 9514 4053; Fax: 02 9514 4079; Email: [email protected] 2 Dr O. Selma Klanten; Tel: 0417 341 941; Fax: 02 9514 4079; Email: [email protected] Dr Jennifer Donelson; Tel: 0402 062 046; Fax: 02 9514 4079; Email: [email protected]

Australian Coral Reef Society Inc. A society promoting scientific study of Australian Coral Reefs Address:

Tel: Fax: Email:

ACRS Correspondence c/- Biological Sciences The University of Queensland St Lucia QLD 4072 (07) 3365 1686 (07) 3365 1655 [email protected]

vulnerable  species,  given  the  lack  of  scientific  rigor  of  this  program,  presents  a  problem  that   should  be  addressed.     2.  The  Loss  of  Apex  Predators   The  importance  of  and  concerns  for  the  loss  of  apex  predators  along  the  GBR  has  been   documented  for  the  GBRMPA  (Ceccarelli  and  Ayling  2010).  Although  drumlines  are  only   deployed  in  areas  with  large  coastal  human  populations,  there  are  still  significant  impacts   on  shark  populations  as  a  whole  due  to  the  large  home  ranges  of  sharks  (Robbins  2006).   Worldwide,  there  have  been  notable  cases  of  how  the  removal  of  apex  predators  (including   the  shark  species  targeted  by  the   GBRMPA’s  drumline  program)  has  had   detrimental  indirect  effects  on  marine   ecosystems  and  human  livelihoods.  One   example  of  this  is  the  overfishing  of   large  sharks  in  the  northwest  Atlantic   that  has  been  clearly  linked  to  the   collapse  of  the  bay  scallop  fishery   (Argopecten  irradians)  in  North   Carolina,  as  a  result  of  absence  of   population  control  of  cownose  rays   (Rhinoptera  bonasus;  Meyers  et  al.   2007).  Other  detrimental  effects,  such   as  increases  in  invasive  species  and   Fig. 1 Data collected from the QSCP non-target catch data changes  in  carbon  sequestration  and  reef   from 2001-2014 biogeochemistry  are  all  cascading  effects   that  have  been  documented  to  occur  with   the  removal  of  large  predators  (Estes  et  al.  2011).  In  addition,  human  removal  of  apex   predators  such  as  sharks  changes  the  balance  of  predation  risk  in  oceans,  leading  to  a  wide   range  of  cascading  effects  through  marine  ecosystems  (Madin  et  al.  2015).  In  coral  reefs   worldwide,  fishing  can  also  indirectly  alter  patterns  of  herbivory,  leading  to  shifted  benthic   dynamics  with  the  competitive  advantage  of  reef-­‐building  corals  and  coralline  algae   diminished  in  concert  with  removal  of  large  fish  (Ruppert  et  al.  2013;  Sandin  et  al.  2008).       3.  Perception  of  the  human-­‐shark  conflict       While  there  has  been  no  fatality  on  beachgoers  in  Queensland  since  the  QSCP  started,   there  remains  no  scientific  evidence  that  this  program  is  the  cause  of  this  trend.  This  latter   point  is  of  great  concern  to  the  members  of  our  scientific  society  (ACRS).  While  the   worldwide  number  of  shark  attacks  has  risen  (Curtis  et  al.  2012),  the  number  of  beachgoers  

President: Hon Secretary: Hon Treasurer:

Prof David Booth; Tel: 02 9514 4053; Fax: 02 9514 4079; Email: [email protected] 3 Dr O. Selma Klanten; Tel: 0417 341 941; Fax: 02 9514 4079; Email: [email protected] Dr Jennifer Donelson; Tel: 0402 062 046; Fax: 02 9514 4079; Email: [email protected]

Australian Coral Reef Society Inc. A society promoting scientific study of Australian Coral Reefs Address:

Tel: Fax: Email:

ACRS Correspondence c/- Biological Sciences The University of Queensland St Lucia QLD 4072 (07) 3365 1686 (07) 3365 1655 [email protected]

has  also  dramatically  increased,  making  it  difficult  to  know  whether  actual  risk  has  changed   over  time.  However,  a  very  similar  circumstance  exists  in  California,  from  which  we  can   glean  valuable  lessons.  There,  scientific  analysis  has  clearly  shown  that  although  the   number  of  shark  attacks  have  increased,  the  individual  attack  risk  has  decreased  by  >91%   over  a  63  year  period  (Ferretti  et  al.  2015).  Given  the  dramatic  declines  in  sharks  globally   and  in  Queensland  in  particular  (Robbins  et  al.  2006),  it  appears  very  likely  that  Queensland   may  have  the  same  trend.  The  authors  of  the  California  study  suggest  that  instead  of  using   unproven  methods,  such  as  culling,  promoting  safer  behaviour  among  ocean  users,  as  well   as  research  into  behaviour  and  spatial  distribution  in  sharks,  are  vastly  more  effective  in   preventing  shark  attacks  than  are  culling  programs.  Importantly,  these  solutions  avoid  the   unintentional  environmental  and  economic  impacts  that  further  reductions  of  apex   predators,  as  described  above.       While  drumline  fishing  may  reduce  the  perception  of  risk  by  Australian  beachgoers,  there  is   no  credible  scientific  evidence  to  back  this  perception  (if,  indeed,  it  exists).  We  therefore   implore  GBRMPA  to  search  for  alternatives  that  will  not  have  such  negative  repercussions   on  the  very  ecosystem  that  you  are  entrusted  to  protect.       What  about  alternatives  to  the  Queensland  Shark  Control  Program?     ACRS  recognizes  that  there  are  programs  in  place  to  limit  the  impact  of  bycatch  (e.g.,   Marine  Animal  Release  Teams;  MART).  While  these  programs  are  commendable,  the   unproven  value  of  culling,  compounded  with  >200  non-­‐target  species  killed  within  the  last   10-­‐years  demands  a  review  of  the  entire  program.       A  viable  alternative  to  culling  is  implementing  the  Shark  Spotters  Program  similar  to  that   developed  in  South  Africa  (Oelofse  and  Kamp  2006;  http://sharkspotters.org.za/).  In  this   program,  4  warning  levels  (coloured  flags)  are  positioned  along  the  beach,  and  spotters  are   positioned  around  the  coastline  to  monitor  conditions.  If  a  shark  is  spotted,  an  alarm  is   raised,  and  the  beach  is  evacuated.       It  is  also  important  to  note  that  stinger  nets  are  placed  in  populated  areas  in  Queensland   beaches  year-­‐round,  and  during  stinger  seasons  in  others   (http://www.qldbeaches.com/stingers.html).  The  risks  of  shark  attacks  inside  these   enclosures  are  negligible,  and  an  alternative  to  culling  is  establishing  more  swimming   enclosure  areas  as  well  as  deploying  them  year-­‐round.        

President: Hon Secretary: Hon Treasurer:

Prof David Booth; Tel: 02 9514 4053; Fax: 02 9514 4079; Email: [email protected] 4 Dr O. Selma Klanten; Tel: 0417 341 941; Fax: 02 9514 4079; Email: [email protected] Dr Jennifer Donelson; Tel: 0402 062 046; Fax: 02 9514 4079; Email: [email protected]

Australian Coral Reef Society Inc. A society promoting scientific study of Australian Coral Reefs Address:

Tel: Fax: Email:

ACRS Correspondence c/- Biological Sciences The University of Queensland St Lucia QLD 4072 (07) 3365 1686 (07) 3365 1655 [email protected]

We  would  be  more  than  happy  to  offer  our  scientific  expertise  in  a  continuing  dialogue   about  this  issue  with  the  GBRMPA.     Kind  regards,    

  Professor  David  Booth   ACRS  President                    

President: Hon Secretary: Hon Treasurer:

 

 

Prof David Booth; Tel: 02 9514 4053; Fax: 02 9514 4079; Email: [email protected] 5 Dr O. Selma Klanten; Tel: 0417 341 941; Fax: 02 9514 4079; Email: [email protected] Dr Jennifer Donelson; Tel: 0402 062 046; Fax: 02 9514 4079; Email: [email protected]

Australian Coral Reef Society Inc. A society promoting scientific study of Australian Coral Reefs Address:

Tel: Fax: Email:

ACRS Correspondence c/- Biological Sciences The University of Queensland St Lucia QLD 4072 (07) 3365 1686 (07) 3365 1655 [email protected]

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President: Hon Secretary: Hon Treasurer:

Prof David Booth; Tel: 02 9514 4053; Fax: 02 9514 4079; Email: [email protected] 6 Dr O. Selma Klanten; Tel: 0417 341 941; Fax: 02 9514 4079; Email: [email protected] Dr Jennifer Donelson; Tel: 0402 062 046; Fax: 02 9514 4079; Email: [email protected]

Australian Coral Reef Society Inc. A society promoting scientific study of Australian Coral Reefs Address:

Tel: Fax: Email:

ACRS Correspondence c/- Biological Sciences The University of Queensland St Lucia QLD 4072 (07) 3365 1686 (07) 3365 1655 [email protected]

safety  in  the  inshore  waters  of  Cape  Town,  South  Africa:  proceedings  of  a  specialist   workshop.  WWF  South  Africa  Report  Series  –2006/Marine/001.  

  Robbins,  W.  D.,  Hisano,  M.,  Connolly,  S.  R.,  &  Choat,  J.  H.  (2006).  Ongoing  collapse  of  coral-­‐ reef  shark  populations.  Current  Biology :  CB,  16(23),  2314–9.   doi:10.1016/j.cub.2006.09.044   Ruppert,  J.  L.  W.,  Travers,  M.  J.,  Smith,  L.  L.,  Fortin,  M.-­‐J.,  &  Meekan,  M.  G.  (2013).  Caught  in   the  middle:  combined  impacts  of  shark  removal  and  coral  loss  on  the  fish  communities   of  coral  reefs.  PloS  One,  8(9),  e74648.  doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0074648   Sandin,  S.  a,  Smith,  J.  E.,  Demartini,  E.  E.,  Dinsdale,  E.  a,  Donner,  S.  D.,  Friedlander,  A.  M.,   Konotchick,  T.,  et  al.  (2008).  Baselines  and  degradation  of  coral  reefs  in  the  Northern   Line  Islands.  PloS  One,  3(2),  e1548.  doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0001548      

President: Hon Secretary: Hon Treasurer:

Prof David Booth; Tel: 02 9514 4053; Fax: 02 9514 4079; Email: [email protected] 7 Dr O. Selma Klanten; Tel: 0417 341 941; Fax: 02 9514 4079; Email: [email protected] Dr Jennifer Donelson; Tel: 0402 062 046; Fax: 02 9514 4079; Email: [email protected]