A slow birthrate and night-time wanderings of pregnant grey nurse sharks away from no-take marine protected areas are putting the fierce-looking but mild-mannered species at further risk of extinction.
A 10-year study that tagged and tracked 34 grey nurse sharks migrating between the Great Barrier Reef and southern New South Wales identified the double threat for the critically endangered species, which has only about 400 breeding animals left in the wild.
The collaborative research led by Dr Ross Dwyer of the University of the Sunshine Coast and Dr Carley Kilpatrick from the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) found the migratory sharks regularly visited no-take MPAs established along the east coast of Australia.
This included Wolf Rock, northeast of Double Island Point; Flat Rock north of North Stradbroke Island; and Henderson Rock and Cherubs Cave, east of Moreton Island.
All are popular spots for scuba diving tourism in Queensland, with the grey nurse shark not considered a risk to human safety.
