Loéva Martin-Podevin, PhD candidate Macquarie University, Supervisors: Professor Culum Brown and Jane Williamson 

Sharks in Australia  

Australia is home to 180 shark species, representing almost half of all shark species worldwide. Most of the country’s human population is distributed along the coast, increasing the possibility of human-shark interactions. Recently, these interactions have been on the rise worldwide¹ attributed to the increase in coastal population density and the growing number of people participating in water activities (surfing, diving, swimming). Human-shark interactions are defined as any contact between a human and a shark, ranging from a shark swimming close to a human to a shark bite related death. These interactions can be divided into provoked or unprovoked. A provoked incident occurs when a human actively tries to engage with a shark. For example, when a diver approaches too close or tries to touch the shark and gets bitten. The probability of getting killed by a shark in Australia is very low: one in 8 million, the same as being killed by a kangaroo (The Nature Conservancy Australia). In 2023, 15 unprovoked shark incidents were reported in Australia, (including one in New South Wales (NSW)) which resulted in four fatalities. Shark bites most likely occur because sharks mistake humans for prey. But they soon realise their mistake and move on. Humans are not on their menu. Three species of sharks are mostly responsible for these incidents: The White Shark, the Bull Shark and the Tiger Shark. These species are the targets of shark management methods on Australia’s East Coast.   

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