Who is responsible for managing sharks in NSW/Australia? What legislation manages sharks in NSW/Australia?
A complex set of rules and regulations governs fisheries in Australian waters. Some fisheries (most of those within 3 nautical miles of the coast) are State managed; the others are managed by the Federal government. Commonwealth fisheries and State fisheries that wish to export any of their catch must be given approval to operate by the Federal Environment Minister under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). In NSW, another important piece of legislation is the Fisheries Management Act 1994. Under this Act, the Minister has the power to declare fisheries closures. At present, therefore, the two individuals with direct power to protect endangered sharks targeted in NSW are Federal Environment Minister, Peter Garrett and NSW Primary Industries Minister, Ian Macdonald.
