Conservationists warn grey nurse shark faces extinction

Conservationists warn grey nurse shark faces extinction

10th March 2003

ABC NEWSONLINE

Conservationists say the grey nurse shark, found primarily off the New South Wales coast, could be extinct within seven to 10 years.

They are calling on the New South Wales Government to protect 13 areas where the shark is found, saying fishing is killing the animal.

Surfers and divers demonstrated at Sydney's Maroubra Beach to highlight the critically endangered species.

The Nature Conservation Council's marine policy officer, Megan Gallagher, says immediate action is needed.

"If no action's taken, it looks as though the grey nurse shark will be extinct in about ten years - worst case scenario is seven years," she said.

"They're getting hooked and dying from hooking injuries at the rate of about one a month."

Global decline

An international group of marine experts fears many shark populations are in rapid decline because of over-fishing and an alarming increase in the lucrative fin trade.

The Shark Specialist Group is meeting on Queensland's North Stradbroke Island to compile information on the likelihood of extinction for shark species across the globe.

The group's spokeswoman Rachel Cavanagh says with an estimated 100 million sharks killed last year more must be done to conserve the species.

"There's no simple answer, so you've got to have things like a variety of strategies, such as fisheries management, " she said.

"You've got to persuade the fisheries managers that this is a real problem and they need to have quotas and they need to close off areas at certain times of the year if that's thought to be necessarily."

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