Grey Nurse Sharks

Australia Zoo with Wildlife Warriors support Grey Nurse Shark conservation on Australia's east coast through a partnership with the University of Queensland (UQ).

Steve Irwin's purpose-built vessel, Croc One, is used to conduct research into the location of gestation sites for the critically endangered east coast population of grey nurse sharks. Currently, we are only aware of 50 per cent of female grey nurse shark aggregation sites. It is our aim to assist in locating the other 50 per cent to ensure these marine nurseries are protected.

The east coast population of grey nurse sharks has experienced severe population decline due to the impact of commercial and recreational fishing and shark control activities like beach meshing and drum lines.

Due to the false notion that grey nurse sharks were man eaters in the 1950's, they were viciously hunted leaving an estimated population of 1,500 individuals on Australia's east coast. As one of the most threatened marine species, we are proud to support UQ's research to understand more about their breeding patterns through the use of Croc One.