Australia has an extremely diverse shark and ray fauna. There are more than 300 different species and at least half of these are only thought to occur in Australian waters. With many different activities having an effect on these species, Australia is committed to developing the Nation Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks. Many Commonwealth-managed fisheries have also developed bycatch action plans that commit to the collection of comprehensive information on bycatch species to underpin sustainable management. This user-friendly guide was developed by CSIRO, AFMA and FRDC so that fishers, observers and scientists can identify the main Australian target and bycatch species of sharks, rays and chimaerids.