Human-shark relations
For millions of years sharks have swum through native waters, and dating back to Aboriginal carvings, sharks have represented a threat in the human imaginary. The recent opposition to shark culling in Australia represents a leading tip of the international 鈥淪ave the Shark鈥� movement. This project aims to devise long-term public education tools and policy options to redefine the human-shark relationship in Australia. The project will:
- Investigate Australian鈥檚 attitudes and views of sharks as native species, beach hazard, and conservation target affect policymaking.
- Analyse how public education can facilitate the coexistence, public safety, and conservation of sharks in Australian waters.
- Develop inter-disciplinary approaches for reconciling political interests around beach safety and environmental preservation with the ethical treatment of wildlife.
- Devise a policy mechanism that allows for a post shark-net consideration of shark bite mitigation in NSW and QLD.
This project is supported by聽SEI鈥檚 2023 Collaborative Grants Scheme.
颁辞苍迟谤颈产耻迟辞谤蝉:听Dr Christopher Pepin-Neff聽(Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences)聽and聽Professor David Raubenheimer, (Charles Perkins Centre and Faculty of Science).
Related research outputs:
, BBC, 4 October 2025
,聽ABC radio, 28 August 2023
, 2GB radio, 15 March 2023
, Forbes, 11 October 2025
, Sydney Morning Herald, 20 January 2026