State-of-the-art digital and laser technologies are being harnessed to help researchers better understand the endangered grey nurse shark, Minister for Primary Industries Ian Macdonald said today.

"A pattern recognition computer program - similar to that seen on the TV program CSI to identify human fingerprints - will be used to identify and count grey nurse sharks at Magic Point, Maroubra - a key aggregation site for grey nurse sharks," Minister Macdonald said.

"This will help researchers examining grey nurse shark populations and determine the exact impact of recreational divers on the local shark population."

Minister Macdonald said the project is a collaboration between scientists from the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Macquarie University.

"Magic Point is a popular site for scuba divers wishing to view and photograph grey nurse sharks known to congregate in the area" he said.

"Sharks visiting Magic Point will now be digitally photographed. The pattern recognition computer program will then identify individuals from the photographs by recognising pigmentation marks on their flanks.

"An additional aspect of this project involves measuring shark sizes using parallel laser lights mounted on the digital cameras. Laser markings on shark photographs will allow scientists to accurately measure the size of individual sharks."

Minister Macdonald said grey nurse sharks were listed as Critically Endangered along the east coast of Australia, but little was known of how individual sharks use their critical habitats.

This project will allow researchers to determine how often individual sharks visit such sites.

The research project will also assess the impacts of scuba divers on sharks visiting the Magic Point site.

"The results will determine the proportion of the grey nurse shark population visiting Magic Point and provide valuable information that will ensure optimal protection for grey nurse sharks and identify appropriate diver behaviour for sustainable shark watching." Minister Macdonald said.

Media contact: Jason Bartlett, 0438 209 281