Fishermen asked to = help with shark study - Breaking News - National

Fishermen asked to help with shark study

September 21, 2006 - = 7:44PM

Sharks may be feared for their sharp teeth and lethal bite but = scientists are=20 trying to determine whether too many of them are being fished in = Australia's=20 northern waters.

Top End researchers recently began a three-year study into the = sustainability=20 of shark fishing in northern Australia.

But there's a catch - they need fisherman to help them with the = study.

Dr Iain Field, from Charles Darwin University, Darwin, has been = tagging a=20 large number of sharks in the fishery along the Northern Territory = coast.

"Sharks play a vital role in keeping our seas healthy," he said in a=20 statement.

"We now have a number of tagged sharks out there and it's really = exciting=20 knowing that when they are caught again we'll have a much better idea of = how the=20 sharks are responding to the fisheries."

When caught, the sharks are marked with two highly visible plastic = tags that=20 provide information about their growth, survival and movement.

But to get the information, the scientists need the fisherman to = catch the=20 shark, make a few notes and then let it go.

"Fishermen are requested to report the tag colour and number, which = species=20 of shark was caught and the date and location of the catch and, if = possible,=20 photograph the fish and release it alive," said NT Fisheries scientist = Dr Rik=20 Buckworth.

"We now have more than 230 sharks that have been caught, tagged and = released,=20 west of Darwin, mainly in the Dundee and Bynoe Harbour areas.

"We ask that fishermen if they catch any of these sharks to please = report=20 them to us."

As a thank you for dealing with animals, dubbed the man-eaters of the = sea, Dr=20 Buckworth said a reward would be offered for the information.

The scientists said the domestic fishery was small and well managed = and that=20 there were far greater potential threats from the increasing numbers of = illegal,=20 unregulated and largely unreported fishermen invading Australian waters = each=20 year.

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