Saltwater Trust Allocation

2008-09: $229,000

The grey nurse shark is a placid, slow-moving coastal species that occurs in temperate and tropical oceans throughout the world, except for in the eastern Pacific. Because of their accessibility to a range of coastal fishing activities, including recreational and commercial fishing, Australian populations of grey nurse sharks have steadily declined since mid last century, raising serious concerns about their future.

Several recovery actions have been implemented for grey nurse sharks, with most of the emphasis placed on mitigating the impact of fishing activities through gear and spatial restrictions at areas identified as being critical habitats. Historical catch data and observations of grey nurse sharks off NSW provide evidence of their interactions with some types of commercial and recreational line fishing gears. However, the underlying mechanisms associated with these interactions remain unclear. Specifically, it is unknown whether or not grey nurse sharks are more vulnerable to particular configurations of baited lines, or if they respond to trolled gears (i.e. baits or lures). Identifying gear-specific responses is an important prerequisite to managing appropriate restrictions on fishing at critical habitat sites. State-of-the-art camera equipment will be used to document the behavioural response of grey nurse sharks to different recreational hook-and-line methods, including anchored and trolled lines rigged with both natural and artificial baits.