Save Our Endangered Sharks & Rays

Australia is the world’s lifeboat for some of the most endangered sharks and rays. But when it’s possible to eat endangered species legally fished from Aussie waters, it’s clear our ‘lifeboat’ has some serious holes in it.

Without any action, the silent extinction crisis beneath the waves will continue. Uniquely Australian species could disappear before we even get a chance to know them, endangered hammerheads will still be fished for fins and meat in the Great Barrier Reef, and  iconic species like sawfish may no longer cruise the coasts and rivers across northern Australia.

We must act now. Sign the petition below and urge the Australian Government to overhaul our most destructive fisheries by implementing the following solutions:

• Protect threatened species as ‘no take’ species under law and make actions to support their recovery mandatory, with sufficient funding to achieve them.
• Protect critical habitats from fishing through the establishment of sanctuary zones
• Regular and robust observer programs, including 100% electronic monitoring (i.e. cameras) on all vessels.
• Improve Bycatch Reduction Devices (‘escape hatches’) to reduce catching threatened species in the first place.
• Improve and prioritise data collection for data-poor species. This includes reporting what sharks and rays are caught and discarded to species-level.
• Training fishers to safely handle sharks and rays to maximise the animal’s chances of survival when released.