The Great Australian Shark Count has been recognised by being named as a finalist in the United Nations Association of Australia DSE Excellence in Marine and Coastal Management Award. The award will be announced in Melbourne on Friday 6th June just after World Environment Day on the 5th June 2008. “We are extremely pleased with the United Nations recognition of this important project on sharks” said Dr Adam Smith, National Chair of Spearfishing for the Australian Underwater Federation.
In order to celebrate World Environment and World Ocean Day (on the 8th June) the AUF are holding their 2nd dedicated shark counting weekend on June 7-8. “We are hoping for hundreds of keen skin and SCUBA divers to be involved by logging shark sightings on the programs website (www.auf.com.au)” Dr Smith said. All major participants become eligible for some fantastic incentives such as calendars, posters, stickers, t-shirts and wetsuits and the chance to win a 4 days dive trip to the Great Barrier Reef thanks to Undersea Explorer. There will also be a Queensland launch for the project held in Townsville this Friday evening.
There has been tremendous support in 2008 for the Great Australian Shark Count. There have been over 5,000 shark sighting and is the largest community shark count in the world. Opportunistic sightings include 14 Great White Sharks, 77 Tiger Sharks and over 440 Whaler Sharks. The most common sightings were Wobbegong Shark (1036) and Grey Nurse Shark (837). NSW has the highest number of shark sightings, closely followed by Qld.
At the first dedicated shark counting weekend in March the AUF received 413 shark sightings and the vast majority were from NSW, around the waters of the Solitary Islands Marine Park (SIMP). Of particular interest is that skindivers reported 131 sharks (62 Grey Nurse and 59 Wobbegongs in one day) in the SIMP. The great news is that this was many more sharks than expected for this time of year for the Marine Park. Of other interest were large schools of hammerheads (up to 30), some large shovelnose (to 3m) and a White Tip Reef shark at Coffs Harbour (the White Tip species is normally a resident of warm reef waters).
"The Shark Count is a great idea, especially for the endangered Grey Nurse Shark, of which the present count of 300 to 500 left in NSW is only a guess” said Ben Cropp, filmmaker, author of Blood in the Water.
The Great Australian Shark Count project has been strongly supported by a range of Government, Scientific, Community and Industry Groups including FRDC, DAFF, Reef Watch, Reef Check, International Year of the Reef, ANIMA, Adreno, Mako Sunglasses, Fox Shark Research Foundation and The Ecology Lab.
“The Great Shark Count is a wonderful opportunity for environmentally conscious divers to contribute information on sharks and engender a spirit of stewardship for our coastal environment.” said Dr Marcus Lincoln Smith, Director of The Ecology Lab Pty Ltd.”
To report a shark sighting please go to http://www.auf.com.au
If you require more information or wish to be involved in counting sharks please contact Michael Rupnik, Executive Officer on shark@auf.com.au or on 0400 367 424
The Australian Underwater Federation (AUF) is the national governing body for underwater sports such as underwater hockey, SCUBA, snorkel coaching and training, fin swimming, and spearfishing (a small but selective type of recreational fishing). The AUF is a member of Recfish Australia and is committed to working strategically together with all recreational fishers. The mission of the AUF is-
Bring sport, conservation and awareness to the underwater world
Media enquires to David Welch on 0414897490 or Adam Smith on 0418726584. www.auf.com.au
The Great Australia Shark Count Project has set a new world record. It has over 2100 sighting and is now the largest community shark count in the world, with more sharks than the multi-award winning Ecocean whale shark project, which has 1100 sightings over 10 years. It is also significantly larger that the global Shark Trust, which has about 200 sightings since 1997.
"Great to see the Australian Underwater Federation skindivers documenting their sightings of sharks.We all know that many sharks are in serious trouble, here and world wide,” said Ron Taylor AM, filmmaker, author.Adam Smith, National Chair of the AUF believes that the success of the Great Australian Shark Count is due to two reasons. “Firstly, we have lots of sharks in Australia and people love getting in the water and diving and fishing. Some tourists pay big money to observe Grey Nurse Sharks in NSW, Grey Reef Sharks in QLD and Great White Sharks in SA waters. Dr Smith believes the second reasons for the success of The Great Australia Shark Count Project is that Australians have a thirst for knowledge and want to make a difference ” Opportunistic sightings include 3 Great White Sharks, 38 Tiger Sharks and almost 200 potentially dangerous Whaler Sharks. The most common sightings were Grey Reef Shark (414) from QLD waters, and Wobbegong Shark (365) from NSW waters. QLD has the highest number of shark sightings, closely followed by NSW. A dedicated shark counting expedition to the Coral Sea reefs (15O Nm offshore from Cooktown) and Great Barrier Reef resulted in 443 sharks encountered by one diver over an 8-day trip. This research has provided very important information and is the first baseline monitoring of sharks from some very remote areas, and will be vital to future understanding and management of this wilderness. The Great Australian Shark Count project has been strongly supported by a range of Government, Scientific, Community and Industry Groups including Coastal Watch, Reef Watch, Reef Check, International Year of the Reef and The Ecology Lab. This project gives tremendous public exposure to creatures, which have previously suffered often-negative education campaigns in the past, such as during the media hype of any shark attack. With the support of so many diverse groups monitoring sharks across Australia this AUF initiative will not only provide valuable information on shark populations, but perhaps more importantly, encourages a more positive social awareness essential to a sustainable future for sharks" said Andrew Fox, Executive Director- Fox Shark Research Foundation. A dedicated community shark-counting weekend will be held on the 28th to 30th of March (and several other weekends in 2008) and we are hoping for hundreds of keen skin and SCUBA divers to be involved. All major participants will also be supported with some fantastic incentives such as calendars, posters, stickers, t-shirts and wetsuits and the chance to win a 4 days dive trip to the Great Barrier Reef thanks to Undersea Explorer. To report a shark sighting please go to http://www.auf.com.au If you require more information or wish to be involved in counting sharks please contact Michael Rupnik, Executive Officer on shark@auf.com.au or on 0400 367 424
For immediate publication 4 December 2007
Skindivers report over 300 sharks
“Sharks can inspire awe, fear, respect, curiosity, concern and myths. Most people love talking about sharks and we want people, particularly divers and fishers to be involved in monitoring and to communicate what species they have seen and where so that we can all have a greater understanding of sharks in Australian waters ” said Dr Adam Smith, National Chair of the Australian Underwater Federation and a Board member of Recfish Australia.
The Great Australia Shark Count Project is modeled on the successful “Great American Fish Count”.
A web site was launched in November 2007 and we have already received over 300 shark sightings from NSW, Qld, Victoria and WA. We hope that fishers and divers in SA, NT and Tas will be involved in the future. We are aiming for 500 sightings by Xmas. The sightings so far include at least 10 species and we have reports of large sharks such as 1 Great White Shark from NSW, 15 Tiger Sharks from Qld, 5 Seven Gill Sharks from Victoria. The most common species sighted so far has been the Wobbegong and Port Jackson Sharks. Many divers have reported over 10 sharks.
There are a number of diverse groups and individuals studying one or several species of sharks at specific locations such as the Undersea Explorer Shark Research Project in the Coral Sea which states that “There is very little known about the basic biology and ecology of tropical sharks. Over recent years there has been an increased concern over the status of shark stocks around the world. The reproductive strategies and life history of sharks make them extremely vulnerable to overfishing”. "The Great Australian Shark Count is an excellent Australia-wide initiative for recreational fishers and the community to learn about rare and common sharks, and be collectively involved in leadership, science, management and the environment". Said Bill Sawknok, Manager, Recfish Research.
Dr Adam Smith, National Chair of the AUF and co-ordinator of the project said “Now is a unique opportunity to work in partnership with key national and state bodies and lay a platform for future community monitoring and management of sharks and key fisheries”. The AUF is very interested to work in partnership with community groups, government, business and individuals to be involved in this exciting project.
All major participants will also be supported with some fantastic incentives such as calendars, t-shirts and wetsuits.
To report a shark sighting please go to http://www.auf-spearfishing.com.au
If you require more information please contact Michael Rupnik, Executive Officer on shark@auf.com.au or on 0400 367 424
For immediate publication 11 October 2007
Great Australian Shark Count
What would you do if you saw a shark in the water? Does the Great White, Tiger, Whaler, White Tip, Wobbegong and Port Jackson conjure feelings of uncertainty, fear or awe? “Most people would panic and get out of the water as quickly as possible” said Dr Adam Smith, National Chair of the Australian Underwater Federation, the peak group representing underwater enthusiasts.
Skindivers are however a unique group. They love scanning the ocean for fish and also viewing the magnificent marine life that is available.They describe the awe and adrenalin rush of seeing a shark in its environment.
Nationally and internationally there are increasing concerns for the conservation of sharks due to high levels of fishing pressure and particular life history characteristics. Two prominent and controversial examples in Australia are the threatened grey nurse shark in NSW and Qld and more recently on the Great Barrier Reef, a study that concluded that some reef shark species are under threat. In each of these examples it is widely acknowledged that further monitoring data on abundance and distribution are urgently needed.
The AUF has been granted financial support of just over $70,000 for ongoing education and monitoring.“We are delighted that the Commonwealth Minister for Fisheries The Hon Eric Abetz, has recognised the value of community monitoring, and the capability and interest of recreational fishers and skindivers to be involved” said Dr Smith.
The Great Australia Shark Count Project will involve community monitoring by divers, fishers, scientists and conservationists; and provide the community, managers and decision makers with a valuable data source. It will also complement other Commonwealth initiatives for monitoring Grey Nurse Sharks. Recreational fishers are prepared to be involved by participating in field monitoring and sharing their knowledge so that we can all have a greater understanding of our marine environment and how to better manage this valuable resource. The program is modeled on the successful “Great American Fish Count”.
"Scientists are very interested in the distribution and abundance of sharks, and community monitoring can provide useful information and education" said Dr Colin Simpfendorfer, Principal Research Fellow at James Cook University.
Dr Adam Smith, National Chair of the AUF and co-ordinator of the project said “Now is a unique opportunity to work in partnership with key national and state bodies and lay a platform for future community monitoring and management of sharks and key fisheries”. All major participants will also be supported with some fantastic incentives such as calendars, t-shirts and wetsuits.
The Australian Underwater Federation (AUF) is the national governing body for underwater sports such as underwater hockey, SCUBA, snorkel coaching and training, fin swimming, and spearfishing (a small but selective type of recreational fishing). The AUF is an associate member of Recfish Australia and is committed to working strategically together with all recreational fishers. The mission of the AUF is-
Bring sport, conservation and awareness to the underwater world
Great news- In September 2007 the AUF were successful with a commonwealth recreational fishing community grant for just over$70,000 titled "Monitoring of threatened species and education of underwater fishing activites"
WHAT will this project do?(What will the funds be used for?)
This project will provide effective and efficient management and monitoring of underwater activities in Australia. It will educate the Australian public that underwater activities are a recreational fishing activity that is “Safe, Sustainable, Selective and provides fresh Seafood”. It will involve community monitoring by divers and fishers and provide scientists and managers with a valuable data source. It will complement other Commonwealth initiatives for monitoring Grey Nurse Sharks.
Part A will first involve education of fishers and underwater enthusiasts to raise the awareness and improve the public perception about underwater activities and monitoring in Australia using several different strategies. These strategies will include:
·Development and distribution of a Powerpoint presentation on sustainable underwater activities and monitoring.
·Development of a factual leaflet on sustainable underwater activities and monitoring (3000 copies).
·Development of a DVD on sustainable underwater activities and monitoring with distribution to key stakeholder groups (100 copies).
·The undertaking of a road show to 4 states (Qld, NSW, Vic, WA) and do a media launch of policy, poster, DVD and community monitoring program (see Part B).
·Building on tournament accreditation program (one tournament accredited – aim for 3 more with at least one in each state)
Part B will comprise of the development and implementation of the “Great Australian Shark Count”. This will be a community monitoring program (not research) that will:
·Be implemented by the hundreds and potentially thousands of fishers, SCUBA, freedivers in Australia who spend countless hours each year viewing Australia’s underwater coastlines, islands and reefs.
NEAT idea for fishing tournaments – a world first.
"One recent trend worthy of note is the ever increasing attention focussing on fishing tournaments from governments, greenies, animal welfare activists and the media. In order to provide tournament organisers with a tool to combat potential negative outcomes for the industry because of this trend, Recfish Australia are in the process of finalising a worlds first in tournament fishing - a national standard which provides tournament organisers around the country with the opportunity to obtain an independent assessment of whether their event is environmentally sound, and socially and economically beneficial."
NEATFish is the very apt acronym describing the scheme, which is otherwise known as the Standard for National Environmental Assessment of Tournament Fishing.
"The NEATFish standard is a user friendly document which contains questionnaires and uses a simple 1-5 star rating designed to provide tournament organisers with an objective assessment of how well their tournament meets certain environmental, social and economic criteria."
The standard was developed with funding from the Australian Government’s Fisheries Research Development Corporation after a comprehensive consultation process with key stakeholders in the recreational fishing industry, including State peak bodies, national fishing organisations, organisers of a number of Australia’s top fishing tournaments, sponsors, recreational fishers, insurance agencies and certification bodies.
Anyone can download the standard and the scoring sheet for free from the Recfish website www.recfish.com.au. After going through the self assessment process and obtaining your
tournaments rating, official recognition of the rating can be obtained by sending or emailing the completed scoring sheet back to Recfish (ceo@recfish.com.au), who will then issue a certificate of recognition. Obtaining official recognition under the standard will involve a fee to cover administrative costs. However as an introductory offer until February 28, 2008, Recfish will provide official certificates of recognition valid for one year FREE OF CHARGE.
"Tournament organisers are encouraged to take advantage of this offer to see how their event rates against the national standard. "
"Tournaments which score well using the NEATFish rating system can look forward to improved relations with government, environmental groups and liability insurers, and increased support from sponsors" Harrison concluded.
"Anyone who is associated with running a fishing tournament knows no matter how much time and effort is put in, there are always those little pitfalls and obstacles which seem to pop up along the way." John Harrison, CEO Recfish Australia said today.
Australian Spearfishing Team to take on Pacific Nations
Over the next week members of the Australian spearfishing team will leave for The Bay of Islands in New Zealand to compete in the Interpacific Championships. The annual international competition includes spearfishers from Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, New Caledonia and Hawaii. The fishers must compete in pairs over two days and target a restricted score sheet of fish species to decide the winning team.
The Australian team members include Jake Boyd, Aaron Crocombe, Drew Fenney, Ken Picard, Jonathan Rewald and Adam Smith, and Gunther Pfrengle and David Welch as team managers. The team was selected during trials held at the National Championships held in Townsville in 2006.
The team will spend several days before the competition scouting the competition zone for good fishing areas and expect cool, clear water and diving to depths of between 20 and 30 m. Over the past months the team has taken on an intensive training program of swimming, running, cycling and diving. The team are fit and are looking forward to catching some great fish such as snapper and kingfish and learning from and socialising with great divers from other countries.
The Championships will be held from March 4 – 10 with competition diving being held over March 9 – 10. The Australian Underwater Federation is the peak group representing divers and its mission is to promote, sport, conservation and awareness in the underwater world - www.auf.com.au.
Photos of the team are available on request. Further information contact: David Welch on 0414 897 490 Dr Adam Smith on 0418 726 584
SEMINAR ON MARINE PROTECTED AREAS BRISBANE Saturday 4 & Sunday 5 November 2006 Mercure Hotel, 85 – 87 North Quay Brisbane The 2006 MPA Seminar is an initiative of Recfish Australia and supported by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation. This 2 day forum will map current MPAs and develop a time-map for the known or planned MPAs taking into account Australia’s international obligations. It will identify and articulate the strengths and gaps in knowledge and understanding of the recreational sector in MPAs and define engagement and develop processes and guidelines for adequate and early engagement of the recreational sector in the MPA debate. It will also develop strategies and programs for Research, Development & Extension to fill any void. This challenging and incisive industry forum will identify the effects (social, cultural and economic) on recreational fishers and fisheries, develop alternative management arrangements in lieu of ‘lockouts’ and determine compensatory processes and measures as well as identify and develop the best aids and tools, including a comprehensive long-term monitoring program. Cost of the Seminar is $200 for the 2 day seminar which includes dinner on Saturday night. The detailed program will be available at www.recfish.com.au Who should attend? This seminar is a must for anyone with an interest in recreational fishing and the implications of the introduction of marine protected areas. Seminar accommodation has been reserved at the Mercure and Ibis Hotels. All delegates are responsible for making their own bookings which should be made at least one month prior to the seminar. See Registration form for rates.
AUF ATTENDEES- So fare David Welch (Qld Chair), Dr Matt Koopman (Vic Chair), John Schulter (NSW Chair), Dr Adam Smith (National Chair), Craig Shepherd (NSW Secretary) and Tony Heugh (Brisbane member) have nominated to attend this important conference. All AUF members and divers should consider having their say and influencing the future.
