Fishing limits
Size limit: Minimum size 45 cm measured from the 5th gill slit to the base of the tail
| Fishing zone | Daily bag limit | Daily boat limit |
|---|---|---|
| Spencer Gulf | 1 | 3 |
| Gulf St Vincent and Kangaroo Island | 1 | 2 |
| All other waters | 1 | 3 |
Species with combined daily fishing limits
- Bigeye Thresher
- Black Stingray
- Broadnose Sevengill Shark
- Bronze Whaler Shark
- Common Thresher
- Dusky Whaler Shark
- Melbourne Skate
- School Shark
- Shortfin Mako
- Smooth Hammerhead Shark
- Smooth Stingray.
Fishing gear restrictions apply to metropolitan shark fishing.
Learn about the rules and handling guidelines for fishing for sharks and rays.
Identification
School Sharks have:
- a grey back and slender shape
- slanted eyes
- a second dorsal fin smaller than the first
- a tail upper lobe larger than lower lobe
- small sharp angular, hooked teeth with 3 large serrations.
School Sharks are born at 30 cm long and grow up to ~1.9 m.
They mostly feed on squid and small to medium sized pelagic fish.
The School Shark is classified as Conservation Dependent under the Australian Commonwealth Government Environmental Protection, Biodiversity and Conservation Act (EPBC Act) (1999). Fisheries that take the species as bycatch are currently managed via a stock rebuilding strategy.
Bag limits must be low to ensure stock recovery is successful.
Habitat
School sharks are a highly mobile species and migrate long distances across the central and eastern Great Australian Bight.
School Sharks form aggregations and are found in gulf, shelf ,and shelf slope waters out to ~600 m. They are sometimes caught when targeting Snapper and Whiting in gulf and coastal waters.
Nursery areas are limited to the south-eastern Australian range. Very few juveniles (neonates) live in other southern Australian regions where mature adults tend to be caught.