2016 SoE Marine Chapter - Case Study - White shark status in Australasian waters

The Marine chapter of the 2016 State of the Environment (SoE) report incorporates multiple expert templates developed from streams of marine data. This metadata record describes the Case Study "White shark (Carcharodon carcharias) status in Australasian waters". The full Case Study, including figures and tables (where provided), is attached to this record. Where available, the Data Stream(s) used to generate this Case Study are accessible through the "On-line Resources" section of this record.

----------------------------------------

DESCRIPTION OF THE FOCUS OF THE CASE STUDY
The white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) is a large, globally distributed, apex predator and one of the few shark species responsible for fatalities to humans. They are a target species for ecotourism, with the South Australian industry valued at over $6M annually. In Australian waters, it occurs from northwest Western Australia around the south coast to central Queensland as two populations separated east and west by Bass Strait. Biologically important areas for white sharks occur in all Marine Regions with the exception of the North Marine Region A geographically discrete nursery area spanning 65 km of coast is centred around Port Stephens in central New South Wales and a second more geographically extensive nursery area is present off 90 Mile Beach in southeast Victoria. Movements are extensive across the range of each population, primarily focussed over continental shelf and slope waters with occasional open ocean excursions.

ISSUES OF IMPORTANCE
The key factor for monitoring status is a lack of information on current population size and trend. Although impact has no doubt been reduced, white sharks are still taken as bycatch in commercial shark fisheries, shark control programs and targeted in response to shark attack/potential hazards. Impacts of shark cage diving operations on white shark physiology is unknown and subject to current research.

DATA STREAM(S) USED IN CASE STUDY
Relevant peer review publications and reports, aerial survey and tagging data.

2016年《环境状况（State of the Environment，SoE）报告》海洋章节纳入了多套基于海洋数据流构建的专家模板。本元数据记录针对案例研究"澳大利亚海域大白鲨（Carcharodon carcharias）种群现状"进行说明。本记录已附带完整的案例研究内容，含附图与附表（如已提供）。若可获取，本案例研究所用的数据流可通过本记录的"在线资源"板块查阅。

----------------------------------------

### 案例研究核心内容
大白鲨（Carcharodon carcharias）是体型庞大、全球分布的顶级捕食者，也是少数会造成人类死亡的鲨鱼物种。该物种是生态旅游的目标物种，仅南澳大利亚州的相关产业年产值便超过600万澳元。在澳大利亚海域，大白鲨的分布范围西起西澳大利亚州西北部，沿南部海岸延伸至昆士兰州中部，其种群被巴斯海峡（Bass Strait）分隔为东西两个种群。除北部海洋区域外，所有海洋区域均存在对大白鲨具有重要生物学意义的栖息区域。其中一处地理上相对独立的育幼区位于新南威尔士州中部的斯蒂芬斯港周边海域，覆盖65公里海岸带；另一处规模更大的育幼区则坐落于维多利亚州东南部九十英里海滩（90 Mile Beach）外海。大白鲨的活动范围覆盖其所在种群的整个分布区，主要活动于大陆架与大陆坡海域，偶尔也会进入远洋区域开展活动。

### 关键重要议题
监测大白鲨种群现状的核心难点在于缺乏当前种群规模与变化趋势的相关数据。尽管人类活动对大白鲨的影响已有所降低，但它们仍会在商业鲨鱼捕捞、鲨鱼管控项目中被兼捕，或因鲨鱼袭击事件及潜在安全隐患而被针对性捕杀。鲨鱼笼观鲨活动对大白鲨生理状态的影响目前尚不明确，相关研究正在进行中。

### 案例研究所用数据流
相关同行评议出版物与报告、航空调查数据及标记追踪数据。