Australia is home to a quarter of the world’s cartilaginous fishes (Class Chondrichthyes) with 328 species consisting of 182 sharks, 132 rays, and 14 chimaeras. Australia’s first Shark Action Plan aims to provide a comprehensive and consistent review of the extinction risk of all cartilaginous fishes (hereafter ‘sharks’) occurring in Australian waters, to provide a benchmark from which changes in population and risk can be measured, and to help guide management for their conservation. This Action Plan also serves to raise the profile of their diversity and conservation needs. This volume includes a taxa profile for each of the 328 species occurring in Australian marine and inland waters, including external territories. Each species’ extinction risk was assessed by applying the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria at the national level. Assessments of extinction risk consider all available information on a species’ taxonomy, distribution, population status, habitat and ecology, major threats, use and trade, and conservation measures. The IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria utilise a series of thresholds to evaluate extinction risk based on population size reduction, geographic range, population size, or the probability of extinction. Species were assessed against the five Red List criteria; to qualify for one of the three threatened categories (Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable), a species had to meet a quantitative threshold for that category in any of the five criteria. The overall status of sharks in Australia is characterised by a relatively low level of extinction risk and a high level of secure species. Of the 328 species, 12% are threatened (39 species: 22 sharks, 17 rays; no chimaeras are threatened); 10% are Near Threatened (32 species: 18 sharks, 13 rays, 1 chimaera); 70% are Least Concern (231 species: 123 sharks, 95 rays, 13 chimaeras); and, 8% are Data Deficient (26 species: 19 sharks, 7 rays, no chimaeras are Data Deficient). No species are Extinct or Extinct in the Wild. Each taxa profile specifies two sets of actions for a species: actions to address knowledge gaps, and actions to maintain, secure, and if necessary, recover the population. To improve the ability to accurately assess the status of species, and ultimately, better conserve and manage them, all species treated in this Action Plan require some knowledge gaps be filled. Knowledge gaps are divided into five themes, each of which improves the information base from which to assess status: taxonomy, distribution, population trend, life history, and connectivity. Conservation actions are provided for each species, regardless of the status assigned them in this Action Plan. While threatened species require immediate action to conserve, manage, and recover their populations, Least Concern species also require action to maintain their secure status. Data Deficient species require action to understand various aspects of their population, but since an assessment as Data Deficient acknowledges the possibility that future research may show that a threatened classification is appropriate, action is also needed to minimise or mitigate threats until such time as more information is available to show that the species is not threatened. Finally, an overarching recommendation is provided for each threatened species. This includes the recommendation that five species be considered for listing on the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act), three species be considered for up-listing, and two species be considered for down-listing. An additional 12 threatened species have been identified as priorities for data collection where further data are required to strengthen the evidence-base underlying their status determinations. These species are priorities for research and monitoring to provide data to support inferred or suspected population reductions or continuing declines identified in the Action Plan. The implementation of the recommendations and actions in this Action Plan will require an ongoing and enhanced investment in science and management which will help secure the future of Australia’s sharks, rays, and chimaeras.

Decision-makers seek to account for the socioeconomic values of environmental assets. However, understanding the available frameworks and data can be a barrier. We address this here by summarising the data used across four case studies (3 geographic regions and 3 socio-economic value frameworks) to demonstrate what data are available and how they are applied to support decisions in varied contexts. See 'Lineage' section of this record for additional methodology.

The population of southern right whales in the Southern Hemisphere has been recovering slowly from near extinction due to its decimation from whaling before its ban in 1935 and cessation in the mid-1970’s. As the species recovers, there is increasing evidence of expansion of aggregation areas, including breeding grounds off the coast of Australia. Consequently, there is a need to update known southern right whale established aggregation areas recognised nationally as Biologically Important Areas (BIAs), as well as the national Southern Right Whale Conservation Management and Recovery Plan, which are both used in decision-making using new evidence. This project collated over 2,000 images collected entirely opportunistically by researchers, volunteer citizen scientists, and whale watch operators, and completed matching of individually identifiable whales in photos (i.e., Photo-ID) between 1991 to 2021 in the southwest corner of Australia to evaluate abundance, residency, site fidelity and connectivity in this historically data limited region. The results are reported in the NESP report for Project 1.22 ("A photo-identification study of southern right whales to update aggregation area classification in the southwest of Australia"). A goal of this project was also to upload unique individual southern right whale Photo-IDs into the Australasian Right Whale Photo-Identification Catalogue (ARWPIC; AMMC 2021). The process for these Photo-IDs are briefly described here.

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2024 project "Grey Nurse Shark aggregations". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- Grey nurse sharks (Carcharias taurus) are protected in Australian Commonwealth waters. Under the EPBC Act, the eastern Australian population is listed as Critically Endangered, while the western Australian population is listed as Vulnerable. The species aggregates at particular sites along migration routes, but existing definitions and criteria for “key aggregation sites” require refinement to support consistent assessment across eastern and western Australia. This project collated existing information on recognised grey nurse shark aggregation sites and potential new sites where sharks have been observed to gather. It reviewed occupancy patterns, existing survey evidence and western population data to refine the definition of a key aggregation site and develop criteria for assessing whether sites should be listed, delisted or prioritised for further investigation. Field and data activities focused on areas where information was limited or where potential new aggregation sites had been identified. These included surveys in Victorian waters near Corner Inlet using ROV and eDNA methods in partnership with Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation; community engagement with dive, fishing and freediving groups to improve reporting of observations; an initial BRUV survey of a reef system in Commonwealth waters in Hunter Marine Park; expanded acoustic receiver coverage at Barwon Banks in Queensland; and review of potential aggregation sites in Western Australia. The project outputs provided Commonwealth and state management agencies with a clearer, more defensible basis for identifying and assessing grey nurse shark aggregation sites. The resulting information supported consistent evaluation of existing and potential sites, prioritisation of future surveys, and improved conservation planning for both eastern and western grey nurse shark populations. Outputs • Spatial information on key Grey Nurse Shark aggregation sites [dataset] • Final project report [written]