Greynurse shark

Summary

Greynurse Sharks are native to subtropical to cool temperate waters. Once widely distributed, they are now mainly restricted to the west and east coasts of Australia and the east coasts of the USA, Uruguay, Argentina and South Africa.

Concern about the conservation status of Greynurse Sharks was raised in the 1980s, resulting in the species becoming protected in NSW in 1984.

Despite this  protection, Greynurse Sharks have declined to the point where they are now  listed as a critically endangered species in the NSW Fisheries Management  Act 1994, and the east  coast population is listed as critically endangered in the Commonwealth's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

This Primefact contains information on the following:

• Description of the grey nurse shark
• Distribution
• Habitat and ecology
• Why are grey nurse sharks threatened?
• Conservation and recovery actions
• Legal implications