Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2013L01506:reg:2013:p5
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2013L01506
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 2013 (pt 5/32)
Character Range: 12252–15378

in New South Wales, with particular concentrations in the Port Stephens area (Bruce & Bradford, 2008, 2012). The data collected by Bruce & Bradford (2012) demonstrate that these areas were utilised repeatedly on a seasonal basis across different years and are consistent with the definition of 'shark nursery areas' applied by Heupel et al. (2007).

These regions of higher concentration have been mapped as part of the Australian Government's marine bioregional planning process. Appendix 1 shows the biologically important areas for white sharks in Australia's Commonwealth Marine Regions. This map shows not only the broad distribution of white sharks within Australian waters but also identifies high density foraging sites, mostly around seal and sea lion colonies, and juvenile aggregation sites, where known.

The white shark is not known to form and defend territories and is only a temporary resident in areas it inhabits. However, its ability to return on a highly seasonal or more regular basis implies a degree of site fidelity that has implications for repeat interactions with site-specific threats (Bruce et al., 2005). Recent genetic studies have supported the theory that white sharks are philopatric — that is, they return to their birth place for biological purposes such as breeding (Blower, et al. 2012). Previously it was thought that only females exhibited philopatry (Pardini et al., 2001), but evidence in Blower et al. (2012) suggests that males may also display a degree of philopatry. Identified foraging areas, aggregation areas, and sites to which white sharks return on a regular basis may represent habitat critical to the survival of the species. However, further research is needed to identify such habitat.

3 Conservation status

Since the late 1990s, the white shark has been fully protected in Australia under Commonwealth and state legislation and is listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix II (CITES, 2004a, 2004b, 2004c).

The white shark is listed as:
Commonwealth:       Vulnerable and migratory under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) in 1999.
New South Wales:    Vulnerable under Section 5, Part 1, Fisheries Management Act 1994,
                    in 1999. This legislation also contains an exemption for accidental
                    catches in beach meshing.
Queensland:         Protected under Schedule 78(1), Fisheries Act 1994 in 1997.
                    This legislation also contains an exemption for accidental catches
                    in beach meshing.
South Australia:    Protected under Schedule 42, Fisheries Act 1982 in 1998.
Tasmania:           Protected under Schedule 135(2), Threatened Species Protection
                    Act 1995, in 2000, Section 135(2), Living Marine Resources Management Act 1995, in 1998 and declared vulnerable under the Fisheries
                    (General and Fees) Regulations 1996, in 2005.
Victoria:           Protected under Schedule 71, Fisheries Act 1995, in 1998.
Western Australia:  Listed as rare or