How do I responsibly fish for sharks?

However, calls are now going out for anglers to be much more aware of how, and where, they fish. States such as Western Australia are even considering shark fishing bans along large parts of its more populated coastline due to fears that targeting the species is only drawing them closer inshore.

The problem for shark fishers is that they need to lay bait and burley trails to attract everything from gummy sharks to seven-gills and bronze whalers. That often requires someone jumping on a kayak, heading about 300 metres offshore, and releasing a ‘blood bag’ of burley into the water.

There are obvious disadvantages if this is done off a beach popular with people, dogs, and – in the case of one beach at Kwinana in Western Australia where a local council-led ban is being discussed – even horses.

Several Perth-based councils have already introduced measures to discourage or even ban shark fishing at popular beaches over fears that an attack could be encouraged. The death of a teenage swimmer in the Swan River – a popular fishing spot for anglers targeting bull sharks up to 3.0 metres in length – earlier this year has resulted in a shark-focussed fishing ban extending along its shores.

In metropolitan areas of South Australia, anglers face daylight-hour restrictions on the size of the gear they use to catch fish. Limiting the size of wire traces and single or ganged hooks means that it is more sensible for anglers to target other fish species with sharp teeth, such as tailor or Spanish mackerel.

The lighter gear would not be strong enough to hook up and land a large shark.

The idea, then, for anyone chasing the excitement of hooking up a shark is to only fish for them in places where swimmers and other waterway users are not.

Hook-ups in shark fishing, like any type of fishing, are quite random with a day without receiving a single bite, even when laying a heavy burley trail, possible.

Sometimes it’s a matter of just having the right bait, such as eel – a favourite of gummy shark – or stingray, a food source that’s common in areas where sharks hunt the shallows.

Once you land a shark, return it to the water as soon as practically possible to give it the best chance of surviving, staying behind the tail and well clear of the business end. Use hooks that will quickly corrode, and cut the wire trace rather than try and remove the hook.

If you plan to keep it, dispatch it quickly and humanely. Smaller sharks such as gummy can be killed with a sharp blow to the head – a donger may need to be an important part of your shark fishing kit.

Be very careful of those species that like to have a jump when hooked up, such as bull sharks and one of the most spectacular shark species to try and land, mako.