New Zealand Updates National Plan to Strengthen Shark Conservation

Conservation Minister Tama Potaka said the updated National Plan of Action provides clearer direction for managing the pressures facing sharks in New Zealand waters.

New Zealand has approved a revised national plan for shark conservation, setting out how the country will protect vulnerable species, reduce accidental captures and manage shark populations while recognising their importance to fisheries and the wider marine environment.

Conservation Minister Tama Potaka said the updated National Plan of Action provides clearer direction for managing the pressures facing sharks in New Zealand waters. At least 113 shark species are found around the country, making careful management important for both biodiversity and the health of marine ecosystems.

Seven shark species are currently recognised as protected because of their conservation status, while 11 are sustainably managed through the Quota Management System because of their importance to customary, recreational and commercial fisheries.

Reducing accidental shark captures is a key priority

The main area covered by the revised plan is preventing the capture of protected sharks and species that fishers are not targeting. When accidental captures cannot be avoided, the plan calls for best-practice handling and release techniques that give sharks a better chance of surviving after they are returned to the water.

This is particularly important because many shark species grow slowly, take years to reach maturity and produce relatively small numbers of young. Those biological characteristics can make populations more vulnerable when deaths occur faster than sharks can reproduce and replenish their numbers.

Potaka said sharks have an important place in marine ecosystems, where different species contribute to the relationships between predators, prey and habitats. Maintaining healthy shark populations forms part of the wider task of keeping New Zealand's oceans productive and ecologically balanced.

Sharks face growing pressures beyond fishing

The revised plan takes a broader view of the risks facing sharks rather than focusing solely on fishing activity. It identifies disease, pollution, marine debris, biosecurity threats, climate change and habitat degradation among the pressures that can affect shark populations and the environments they depend on.

Recognising these threats gives conservation and fisheries agencies a wider framework for understanding changes in shark populations and considering how different environmental pressures may interact.

The plan also gives greater recognition to tangata whenua perspectives and values in shark management. Sharks are recognised as taonga, with the updated approach acknowledging their connections with other species and their place within the wider marine environment.

Updated plan builds on earlier conservation measures

New Zealand has introduced several shark protection measures under previous national plans, including the shark-finning ban that came into effect in 2014. Guidance has also been improved to help fishers safely handle and release protected sharks that are unintentionally caught.

The revised plan builds on those measures by placing continued emphasis on practical conservation alongside sustainable fisheries management, rather than treating shark protection and responsible use of marine resources as separate issues.

Potaka said the Government wants to continue that work through an approach that responds to the different pressures facing shark species while improving their chances of survival when accidental interactions with fisheries occur.

With more than 100 shark species occupying New Zealand waters and playing different ecological roles, the updated national plan provides a framework for managing those populations while addressing fishing impacts, environmental threats and the cultural importance of sharks for future generations.