The Conversation Weekly Cash for releasing sharks has a catch
Jun 12, 2025
In this discussion, Hollie Booth, a conservation scientist at the University of Oxford, shares insights into shark and ray populations in Indonesia, the world's largest shark-fishing nation. She explores a unique pay-to-release initiative, aimed at incentivizing fishermen to free accidentally caught sharks. While this method shows promise for some species, it also reveals unexpected outcomes, like increased mortality for hammerhead sharks. Booth emphasizes the need for tailored conservation strategies and highlights the complexities behind effective wildlife protection.
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Endangered Sharks' Ecological Roles
- Sharks and rays like hammerhead sharks and wedgefish are highly endangered due to being large, slow-growing, and highly susceptible to fishing gear.
- Their ecological roles include apex predation, nutrient transfer, and potentially mitigating climate change effects in oceans.
Indonesia's Shark Fishing Challenge
- Indonesia catches roughly 3 million sharks and rays annually, driven by extensive small-scale coastal fisheries.
- Many coastal fishers rely on all catch parts, including sharks, for protein and income, complicating conservation.
Fishers' Emotional Releases
- Monitoring videos of live shark releases revealed fishers treated sharks almost like their own children.
- Fishers expressed affection, saying goodbye to sharks while releasing them, showing emotional engagement.