Pulling the grey nurse shark back from the brink
Conservationists, divers and scientists held crisis talks in Sydney last week to try and save the grey nurse shark from the brink extinction.
With less than 500 individuals on the east coast of Australia, the grey nurse shark may be Australia's most threatened marine species.
Frustrations are running high over the NSW Government's failure to recognise the urgency of the situation for the critically endangered species. Scientists predict the iconic and once common shark could be extinct in NSW within a decade.
Nurse sharks in 'Morning with Kerri-Anne' © ninemsn
On average one grey nurse shark is known to die a month due to human induced causes from a population that numbers in the low hundreds and breeds very slowly. This death toll may be the tip of the iceberg as most shark fatalities go unreported.
Line fishing is recognised as a key threat to the species. Most of the shark deaths are caused by horrific hook injuries.
It has long been acknowledged by WWF and other conservation groups that we urgently need the government to remove fishing from the shark's 16 key habitat areas along the NSW coast line. Yet line fishing by commercial and recreational fishermen is still allowed in some form at all areas.
The NSW Government is currently considering sanctuary level protection at 6 of the critical habitat sites in marine parks being created in the Port Stephens and Bateman's Bay regions. A small, vocal group who are opposed to the marine park are campaigning against it, leaving WWF and other conservationists concerned that the NSW Government will compromise and the sanctuaries may not be adequate in size.
Grey nurse sharks cannot afford to wait for the NSW Government to drag its heals in removing line fishing from all 16 key habitat sites including critical habitat near Bateman's Bay, Port Stephens, Maroubra, South West Rocks and Mermaid Reef.
How you can help
- You can take action to protect the grey nurse shark by writing to the NSW Premier asking him to immediately increase protection for these critically endangered sharks. Write a letter today!
- If you live near the coast remove any rubbish or fishing gear that you see in the water or on the beach.
- If you're a recreational fisher, refrain from fishing in grey nurse shark areas.
- Learn more about grey nurse sharks and share your knowledge with others. There's so much to know, the grey nurse doesn't reproduce very often (two pups per litter after a pregnancy of up to 12 months) and it's a very gentle creature (never a reported attack on a human).
