Semantics along Risk Road - the conservation status of Great White Sharks

Image: Terry Goss via Wikipedia

Shark attacks make for a hot topic. What makes them even hotter is a knee-jerk response from a frightened State government.  So plays the current scenario in Western Australia, where the most recent shark attack on a local surfer has resulted in the WA government instigating a culling programme by deploying baited drumlines off popular WA beaches . 


This drastic action to the perceived increased threat of sharks, particularly Great Whites (Carcharodon carcharias), has drawn a barage of punchy headlines, comments and debates online.

Something I have noticed amongst this online frey, between the cries of "Death to all sharks!" and "Sharks are the reason we exist!" pleas, is the the word 'endangered'. It is used in these circumstances to loosely describe the conservation status of both the international and Australian Great White shark populations.

With so many species identified as being at risk of extinction, the term 'endangered' has become somewhat of a marketing tool. It easily conjures up images of a species right on the brink, cowering in the corner away from humans and pitchforks.

But in the world of conservation, the word 'endangered' has a reasonably specific meaning, and I thought it might be helpful to clarify its use in the case of the Great White Shark.

Semantics? Yes. But if one is going to use science and and fact to back up arguments, it's always helpful to be correct.

So what does endangered mean?

The online dictionary definition of the word is 'seriously at risk of extinction'.

But how 'seriously'? Is the risk high or low?

The level of risk of extinction is determined by different agencies around the world depending on which geographical region we are interested in. At the global scale, threat levels are determined by the IUCN Red List.

To determine a species' level of risk, assessors, (experts in that species or group), scrutinise all available information against pre-determined criteria.  Upon completion of this arduous task, species are placed in one of seven categories, ranging from Data Deficient to Extinct.

Categories classifying risk of extinction. From IUCN Red List

The most concerning categories (where attention, protection and funds are usually drawn to) are the ones where a species population is 'seriously' threatened. How serious that is, is conveyed by the levels: 

• 'Vulnerable' (facing a high risk of extinction in the wild)  
• 'Endangered' (very high risk of extinction) and 
• 'Critically endangered' (extremely high risk of extinction) 

(Check the Categories and Criteria page on the Red List website for full descriptions of each level.)

Where does the Great White sit?

Great White shark (Carcharodon carcharias) populations have been assessed since 1990, and are currently classified as 'Vulnerable to extinction' (A2cd+3cd) at a global level. (See the IUCN's description of the criteria for details on the code). This has been drawn from global drops in catch from beach netting, game fishing and incidental by catch in commercial fisheries.

To put this in perspective, other less controversial animals classified as 'Vulnerable'  at a global scale include whale sharks and polar bears. Thankfully, humpback whales, the iconic threatened species of our generation, are now categorised as 'Least Concerned' by the Red List, thanks to the increased protection afforded to them over the past few decades.

Risk can vary over the world, and regions may have their own indicators of threat levels. IN Australia, Great Whites are also classified as 'Vulnerable' where the proposed culling will take place. They are a protected species, and the Australian Government has had a a recovery plan in place for Great White sharks since 2002.

'Vulnerable' is not a place you want to be

While the term 'endangered' is used quite loosely in online chatter, we should always be careful to understand true meanings. In the case of the Great White, it is most appropriate to use 'Vulnerable' when discussing their risk of extinction, but this should not be seen as a downgrade from the more popular generic term. 

Today, Australia's Environment Minister Greg Hunt signed off on the shark culling program. It appears national protection does not protect much, in the case of the Great White Shark. Activities such as beach netting, by catch in commercial fisheries and trophy collecting are the major threats to its survival. Without protection from these activities, the risk of extinction will swiftly move from high to very high - a story very different to that of the humpback whale.

Surely noone wants to push a species down the slippery slope to Endangered status, do they? Particularly when the identified threats to the Great White by the IUCN includes 'media-fanned campaigns to kill Great White Sharks after a biting incident occurs'. That's a pretty good clue that starting another culling program such as that proposed in WA is giving these sharks the middle finger and a helping hand towards extinction. 

Every few years, Red List information for a species is reviewed, and a species status' is updated taking into account new data. Let's hope the Great White doesn't make it into the orange.