The big-eyed, long-tailed thresher shark has become rare in Indonesian waters, but a University of Queensland Australia Awards student is using funding from a conservation award to help protect them.
Master of Environmental Management student Dewi Ratna Sari founded Thresher Shark Project Indonesia after receiving a Conservation Leadership Award in 2018.
“In recent years, their population has declined by 83 per cent worldwide, however specific information – such as their habitat use and population-risk status – is not well understood,” Ms Sari said.
Thresher sharks are listed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, but Ms Sari said they were still frequently caught and killed across Indonesia, either through targeted fishing or as tuna fishing bycatch.
