Grey Nurse Shark Conservation - Current Status

Current Status

The population has declined dramatically in recent decades, especially in the 1960s and 1970s. After 20 years of protection the population is still declining and there are approximately 400-500 Grey Nurses left in Eastern Australia.

Some scientists, fishers and divers and peak organisations such as the Australian Underwater Federation believe that the methodology used to estimate numbers of approximately 400-500 is limited and that grey nurse shark numbers have increased since protection in 1984 and that the east coast population numbers have been quoted as up to 1000, 2000 and 6000. There is good reason for this belief apart from anecdotal observations. The original estimate of 400-500 was based on a single mark/capture survey done in June 2003 however a second identical survey in August 2003 resulted in much higher estimates (p=0.5 for 6000 sharks). Also interestingly of all the GNS sighted in the August 2003 survey not a single one was reported as having any visible hooks or trailing lines visible. Unfortunately some scientists and politicians decided that research which does not fit a conservationalist agenda is not published and repeated requests in the NSW Parliament to produce copies of the August 2003 research were flagrantly ignored. However the research papers were finally obtained from a leaked source and the Government had to admit that the research had taken place. But to this day the August 2003 research has been deleted from the official public record and never published in any scientific journals.

Latest research from a workshop in Sydney in November 2009 is that the estimates of GNS undertaken by consultants funded by DEWHA for Grey Nurse Sharks on the east coast is now in excess of 1340. This is more than three times the previous published estimates and supports the long held belief of the Australian Underwater Federation that the previous research was limited and\or that there has been an increase in numbers of sharks.