The secret life of sharks revealed

[nsw_fisheries]

http://www.fisheries.nsw.gov.au/gen/news/fb_04mar04_secret.htm

"This document has been posted for information and to encourage discussion among yourselves. For more information from NSW Fisheries on the issue, please visit our web site on www.fisheries.nsw.gov.au"

[Lucky_Phill]

The secret life of sharks revealed: high tech tags protecting grey nurse sharks
Thursday 4 March, 2004
The NSW Government today revealed high-tech electronic tags were being used for the first time in NSW to help protect the endangered grey nurse shark.

Grey nurse sharks are among the most gentle species of shark – so much so they are often referred to as the Labrador of the ocean.

Unfortunately, the most recent research suggests there are only between 410 and 460 sharks left along the NSW coast.

In 1984, the State Government declared the grey nurse shark a ‘protected species’ – the first time a shark species had earned this “tag”. The State Government updated the status to endangered in 2000.

NSW Fisheries researchers are now using the so-called “pop-up” tags to track the sharks to learn more about their behaviour.

The tags are attached – by NSW Fisheries experts - to the dorsal fins using a combination of nylon line and wire and are pre-programmed to automatically detach at set times.

The tags then float to the surface where they transmit data by satellite back to NSW Fisheries researchers based at Port Stephens.

The information gives researchers a clearer picture of migration patterns and ensures protection measures are based on the latest scientific information.

NSW Fisheries staff fitted three grey nurse sharks (Tammie, Maihi and Tailrope) with tags near South West Rocks on the mid-north coast in October and November last year.

Tammie’s tag popped up on February 11 at Crowdy Head near Taree. Another tag is scheduled to pop up next week and the third by the end of April.

The tags – worth $10,000 each – are being funded by the Sea World Research and Rescue Foundation.

The State Government spends hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on grey nurse shark research and protection as part of the broader $1 million Threatened Species Program.

In 2002 the NSW Government introduced a grey nurse shark recovery plan. The plan included a $220,000 tracking program that identified areas where grey nurse sharks feed and breed.

This research helped the State Government impose new fishing and diving rules to protect the grey nurse shark, and led to the declaration of 10 critical habitat areas along the coast:

Julian Rocks (Byron Bay)
Fish Rock (South West Rock)
Green Island (South West Rocks)
The Pinnacle (Forster)
Big and Little Seal Rocks (South of Forster), merged as one site
Little Broughton Island (North of Port Stephens)
Magic Point (Maroubra – Sydney)
Bass Point (Shellharbour)
Tollgate Islands (Batemans Bay)
Montague Island (Narooma)

webmaster@fisheries.nsw.gov.au | Terms of use including Copyright & Privacy Statement | Phone: (02) 9527 8411

[Fisherman02]

I was expecting a sneak preview to a new soap :P
cheers jack