1-30 June 2018

Operation

During June 2018, twenty SMART drumlines were deployed for 15 days at Ballina-Lennox Head and fifteen SMART drumlines for 23 days at Evans Head. Environmental conditions determined how long SMART drumlines were deployed on any given day, ranging from 5:59h to 9:52h. On average, SMART drumlines were deployed daily for 8:25h at Ballina-Lennox Head and 9:00h at Evans Head.

Total catches

During June 2018, eight target sharks were caught (Table 1 and 2): six White Sharks (2 male and 4 female) from Ballina-Lennox Head (3 individuals) and Evans Head (3 individuals); one male Bull Shark and one female Tiger Shark from Evans Head.  The total number of target sharks since 8 December 2016 is now 226 White Sharks, 39 Tiger Sharks and 9 Bull Sharks (Table 2).

A total of eight non-target animals were caught (Table 1 and 3), including one Smooth Hammerhead, three Dusky Whaler Sharks and four Common Blacktip Sharks (all at Ballina-Lennox Head).  The total number of non-target sharks since 8 December 2016 is 127 (Table 3).

All animals were released alive.

Comments

When the contractor responded to seven alerts that had no catch, they found that three hooks had no bait, two hooks had the bait fully intact, and two hooks had either 30 or 50% of the bait remaining.

One SMART drumline failed to set off an alert at Sharpes Beach, Ballina on 13 June 2018. When the contractor arrived for an alert on an adjacent SMART drumline, a Dusky Whaler was found alive on the line as they went past (Table 1). It was tagged and released immediately.

All other caught animals triggered an alert to the DPI contractors who responded and were at the SMART drumline within an average of 27 minutes. This was slower than previous months because multiple captures of animals at the same time in the same region occurred on several days.

Table 1: The date and time of capture of species and their sizes (total length in m), sex, and status during the month of June 2018.

* indicates where no alert was received and the shark was found while responding to another alert on an adjacent SMART drumline.

Table 2: Cumulative total of target shark species caught on SMART drumlines since December 2016 at Ballina-Lennox Head (BL), Evans Head (EH), Coffs Harbour (CH), Forster (F), Kiama (K) and Ulladulla (U).

^a 1 individual died
^b 1 individual was found dead on Airforce Beach, Evans Head on 12 May 2017 after being tagged and released on 7 May 2017

Note:

• Ballina and Evans Head trial started 8 December 2016
• Coffs Harbour and Forster trial started 14 August 2017 and was completed on the 13 February 2018  (6 month trial)
• Kiama and Ulladulla trial started 3 November 2017 and was completed on the 2 May 2018 (6 month trial)

Table 3: Cumulative total of non-target species caught on SMART drumlines since December 2016 at Ballina-Lennox Head (BL), Evans Head (EH), Coffs Harbour (CH), Forster (F), Kiama (K) and Ulladulla (U).

^a Loggerhead Turtle was tangled in the trace (but not hooked)

Table 3 (continued): Cumulative total of non-target species caught on SMART drumlines since December 2016 at Ballina-Lennox Head (BL), Evans Head (EH), Coffs Harbour (CH), Forster (F), Kiama (K) and Ulladulla (U).

^b shark was found dead on the line after an alert

Table 3 ((continued): Cumulative total of non-target species caught on SMART drumlines since December 2016 at Ballina-Lennox Head (BL), Evans Head (EH), Coffs Harbour (CH), Forster (F), Kiama (K) and Ulladulla (U).

^c Black Marlin was found dead on the line after an alert
^d Smooth Hammerhead was found dead at the end of the day