South Australia enacted in December laws to protect vulnerable sharks and rays from overfishing and inhumane treatment.
The legislation from the Department of Primary Industries and Regions was crafted after community pressure, showing how impactful using your voice can be.
"We have heard the concerns raised by stakeholders and the broader community about the risk of unsustainable fishing practices and mishandling of incidentally caught sharks and rays and these legislative amendments will ensure greater protections are [in] place," politician Clare Scriven said in a statement.
Five of the protected species are found only in Australia, Mongabay reported: the whitefin swellshark, greeneye spurdog, longnose skate, gray skate, and coastal stingaree.
Seven endangered and critically endangered creatures cannot be fished: the whitefin swellshark, greeneye spurdog, oceanic whitetip shark, green sawfish, southern dogfish, basking shark, and gray nurse shark. Rays in the genus Urolophus and skates in the genuses Dipturus and Dentiraja are also off limits.
Anglers are limited to one catch for 11 other animals and a maximum of two for all other sharks and rays. Five rays are also subject to size limits.
The new rules also ban the intentional damage or mutilation of "non-noxious aquatic resources that aren't being retained."
They are protected within 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) of the South Australian coast, and violators can be fined 20,000 Australian dollars ($12,413).
Still, conservationists are calling for more action.
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Definitely 👍 "It's great these shark and ray species are now protected in South Australia, but it's alarming that outside the state's waters, these species can be legally caught and sold for their meat, commonly referred to as 'flake' in your fish and chips," Lawrence Chlebeck, a Humane Society International Australia marine biologist, said. "We expect a decision by the Australian government whether to declare these species endangered before March 2026, but the sooner the better."
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It took two years to move this ban from the idea stage to implementation, but it resulted in protections for 77 species, according to Flinders University. That proves efforts to create environmental regulations — which help maintain ecosystems and ensure future generations can experience the natural world as it is today — are worth it.
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