WELCOME TO
GREY NURSE SHARK WATCH
About
Grey Nurse Shark Watch is a Queensland-based project working to monitor & protect these endangered and iconic sharks.
Grey nurse sharks are Critically Endangered on the eastern coast of Australia. This population is thought to consist of only a few hundred adults. While the species is fully protected, grey nurse sharks are still susceptible to accidental catches in recreational and commercial fisheries, and the shark control program.
You can help!
Got photos of grey nurse sharks?
We’d love to see (and identify) them!
How to get involved
We are working with the dive community to photo-identify individual grey nurse sharks. Your photos can help us to establish the present-day abundance of grey nurse sharks, to ensure that critical habitats are monitored and managed, and to identify and mitigate human threats to the species.
Every grey nurse shark has a unique spot pattern. Like a human fingerprint, we can use their spots to identify individual sharks and track them over time via the online photo library at sharkbook.ai.
We use photos to count how many sharks there are, to track changes in their population size through time, and record observations of hook retention and other human injuries.
You can help!
Got photos of grey nurse sharks from Australia? We’d love to see (and identify) them!
If you’re keen to learn more, we’ll be creating training materials and conducting outreach events through 2024.
Get in touch
Learn more
About grey nurse sharks
Grey nurse shark information from QLD Dept. of Environment, Science & Innovation
Global conservation status of the grey nurse shark
(also known as sand tiger and raggedtooth shark elsewhere in the world)
Prior research by the project team
Study finds double threat for endangered Australian east coast shark
Wolf Rock Research Project (Great Sandy Marine Park)
Flat Rock Research Project (Moreton Bay Marine Park)