G at Australian Seachange Newsletter - Southern Freedivers

For immediate publication 26 March 2009
Community shark monitoring project enters a new era
The highly successful Great Australian Shark Count project is to undergo a name change to better reflect the
scientific benefits the project offers. This community-based project, previously coined the name GASC, will
now be known as Great Australian Shark Watch. The project has so far won national awards and generated
enormous community support. This project has also attracted enormous community and media interest due to
a number of shark attacks on swimmers, surfers and divers this summer.
“The new name better reflects the information generated by the project.” says Dr Adam Smith, national chair
for the Australian Underwater Federation spearfishers and the project co-ordinator. “Although the project
actually involves the community counting sharks, it will not be informative about trends in shark population
numbers. The data collected will however be very useful in showing scientists and managers where and when
particular shark species are found. This type of information is lacking and will become even more useful with
several years of data collected.”
With the help of the community, particularly divers and spearfishers, the project has recorded several
thousand shark sightings, including the unusual record of a leopard shark off Sydney, a species generally found
in tropical waters.
With the success of the project so far, organizers are very keen to see Great Australian Shark Watch continue
into the future, however this is currently in jeopardy says Dr Adam Smith. “The project funding runs out this
month and despite several attempts we have not been able to raise further funds to ensure the project
continues. This would be a real shame given the importance of sharks and the benefits the project provides.”
said Dr Smith. “The education side of the project which has raised awareness of shark conservation has also
been outstanding.”
The project has organized four dedicated community shark monitoring weekends in four different states in the
past year. The project will hold another one of these across the weekend of March 27 – 29 and are hoping for
hundreds of keen skin and SCUBA divers to be involved. Organisers will lead a monitoring team in the Solitary
Islands Marine Park in NSW, but urge divers from across Australia to monitor sharks on this weekend. To
report shark sightings divers can go to the project website at www.auf.com.au and be in the running for
random draw prizes such as wetsuits, t-shirts, posters and stickers.
The Great Australian Shark Watch project has been supported by a range of Government, scientific,
community and industry groups including DAFF, FRDC, Reef Check and The Ecology Lab. The organisers are
disappointed that the project appears to be in is final stages due to lack of financial and government support
and have recently written to federal and state environmental and fisheries Ministers and asked for ongoing
funding but have received no response.
“We have some dedicated volunteers who will help maintain the project database in the short term, however
the long term future of the project will depend on future funding” says Dr Smith. “The project has proven that
the diving community is interested in participating in monitoring sharks; however we need funding support to
ensure we can harness this interest and put it to some use.”
AUF Mission: Bring Sport, Conservation and Awareness to the Underwater World