Grey Nurse Sharks

Finally Made it to Manta Arch and Shark Gutter at South solitary over the weekend to check out all the endangered Grey Nurse Sharks! The season to see these amazing creatures is just beginning to pick up as the water cools down.  We saw around 10 nurses on our dive (approximately 25 to 28 m depth) but as winter progresses is not rare to see about 20 together at one time.  Grey Nurse Sharks are critically endangered and were the first protected shark species in the world.  They grow to about 3.5 meters in length and were nearly hunted to extinction as they were thought to be ferocious and responsible for human attacks due to their size and appearance (they are actually not aggressive sharks).  Even though deliberate killing has been banned they still face many threats including shark netting on beaches, commercial fishing trawling, bottom set fishing lines and finning (cutting off of shark's fins for human consumption, illegal in most areas now but still prevalent).  Additionally, they do not reach sexual maturity until they are 6 to 8 years old giving birth every other year to 1 or 2 young, this slow maturity increases their susceptibility to population decline.  Marine sanctuaries, such as that in the Solitary Islands, aid in protecting breeding and feeding grounds, ban fishing and collecting and impose conduct regulations for diving with Grey Nurses.   However, without accurate population estimates (estimates range anywhere from 300 to 1300 individuals) or widespread management plans to assist in their recovery they are still greatly at risk for extinction.


http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=240250632742748

here is a quick video from Jetty Dive of a few of the sharks at the beginning of our dive!


An article about a Grey Nurse Found decapitated on the beach recently

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-news/anglers-blamed-after-decapitated-grey-nurse-shark-found-on-beach-at-terrigal/story-e6freuzi-1226357385601