Report period: 8 Feb – 7 Mar 2017
Over 8 Feb–7 Mar 2017 nets were deployed on 24–25 days at five beaches and each checked 19–35 times (Table 1). The contractors are required to check the mesh nets twice a day, but if the weather or bar conditions prevent safe access, then fewer checks are made.
Note
- Data are preliminary and subject to QA checks and confirmation of species identities from photos and necropsies.
Beach | Number of days | Number of times net checked |
---|---|---|
Seven Mile, Lennox Head | 25 | 19 |
Sharpes, Ballina | 25 | 21 |
Shelly, Ballina | 25 | 21 |
Lighthouse, Ballina | 25 | 21 |
Main, Evans Head | 24 | 35 |
During the third month, 34 individuals across 7 species were caught in the mesh nets
- 53% were released alive
- 47% were found dead and had tissue samples retained for analyses (Table 2); and.
- no target shark species were caught.
Beach | Species | Number alive | Number dead |
---|---|---|---|
Seven Mile, Lennox Head | Whitespotted Guitarfish | 1 | 0 |
Loggerhead Turtle | 0 | 1 | |
Pygmy Devilray | 2 | 2 | |
Great Hammerhead Shark | 0 | 1 | |
Sharpes, Ballina | Loggerhead Turtle | 1 | 0 |
Pygmy Devilray | 1 | 1 | |
Shelly, Ballina | Whitespotted Eagle Ray | 1 | 0 |
Australian Cownose Ray | 0 | 2 | |
Lighthouse, Ballina | Whitespotted Eagle Ray | 0 | 2 |
Common Blacktip Shark | 0 | 1 | |
Pygmy Devilray | 0 | 1 | |
Whitespotted Eagle Ray | 1 | 1 | |
Main, Evans Head | Australian Cownose Ray | 9 | 3 |
Great Hammerhead Shark | 1 | 1 | |
Whitespotted Eagle Ray | 1 | 0 | |
TOTAL | 18 | 16 |