The Road to Extinction
A history of line fishing, spearfishing and the meshing of Sydney’s beaches to protect us from sharks has helped cause the near extinction of one of our most wonderful species.
NSW Fisheries is the government department responsible for protecting the grey nurse shark in NSW. Recognising the decline in grey nurse shark numbers, NSW Fisheries listed the grey nurse shark as a protected species in 1984.
Although this action looked good politically, it did little to protect the grey nurse shark. This is because although spearfishes had long stopped killing grey nurse sharks, however line fishing and gamefishing, which continue to this day to be the main threat to the grey nurse shark, were still allowed to occur in the areas where grey nurse sharks gather!
With time, the grey nurse shark was listed in NSW as ‘vulnerable species’ and then in 2000 when researchers and divers found there to be only a few grey nurse sharks left in the sea, the grey nurse shark was recognised as an ‘endangered species’.
The grey nurse shark, like all sharks, is a top order predator that plays a very important role in the marine food chain. The grey nurse shark is harmless to humans and provides a wonderful viewing experience for divers.
This could be our last chance to save this species.
The Road to Recovery
Help National Parks Association of NSW save the grey nurse shark from extinction. Help us lobby NSW Fisheries to release a species recovery plan that will guarantee the full protection of the grey nurse shark from fishing and the beach meshing program.
HELP US, WRITE NOW!
Write: a short letter to NSW Fisheries stating that:
Grey nurse sharks are an important marine species that need urgent protection from human impacts.
Demand:
the immediate release of the NSW Recovery Plan for the grey nurse shark.Demand
: that the gathering sites and feed species of the grey nurse shark become fully protected from fishing in marine sanctuaries.Demand: that these marine sanctuaries are big enough to protect the grey nurse shark when they leave their gathering sites at night to look for food.
Demand: that marine sanctuaries be declared around all grey nurse shark gathering sites in all current and future marine parks.
Demand: that the NSW beach meshing program, which kills many species of sharks, turtles and other marine species be immediately abolished. (Australia is one of the only places in the world, which kills sharks under the miss-conception that this will protect swimmers).
Working together to protect natural areas (revised 28 May 2002) |
PO Box A96, Sydney South NSW 1235 Email: marine@npansw.org.au |