Australia’s fishing zone extends from three to 200 nautical miles from the coast, the third largest fishing zone in the world. Every fishing season, as the trawlers and longliners leave the shore to meet their quotas for rock lobster, prawns, and tuna—several other marine species not intended for food find themselves entangled in their nets or ensnared by hooks. 

The Shark and Ray Rescue Centre has become a lifeline for these creatures, mostly bottom-dwelling sharks and benthic rays who are often too injured to return to the wild.

Once a regular aquarium, the Centre reinvented itself out of a desire to join marine conservation efforts. Through unique partnerships with commercial fisheries, the Centre receives rescued fish and rehabilitates them. Visitors to the Centre are allowed to touch, feed, and even swim with the fish on display. This helps the animals prepare for a safe and happy future in public aquariums. 

The goal of the Shark and Ray Rescue Centre is to encourage respectful bonds between humans and marine life. Although its fish cannot be re-released into the wild, by rehoming them in aquariums, the Centre hopes that it can prevent more species from being taken from their native habitats and save those that have been.