Port Lincoln and the White Sharks of the Neptune Islands

Port Lincoln, on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, stands on the traditional lands of the Barngarla people, who know the area as Galinyala. European settlement began in 1839, and the protected waters of Boston Bay later supported the city’s development as a major agricultural port and center for commercial fishing and aquaculture.

Offshore, the Neptune Islands support major breeding colonies of long-nosed fur seals and a smaller colony of Australian sea lions. The surrounding waters are also an important aggregation and feeding area for white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias), which regularly forage around the islands. The abundance and seasonal movements of seals influence shark activity, although white sharks may be recorded in the area throughout the year.

White sharks occur in temperate and subtropical waters worldwide. Their maximum confirmed size remains uncertain, but available scientific assessments estimate that the species may reach approximately 6 to 6.4 metres in length. The Neptune Islands have become an internationally important location for regulated shark-cage tourism, scientific research, photographic identification and public education about the species.