Nicknamed 'labrador of the sea' this relatively docile member of the shark family is a regular visitor along our coastline and in our estuaries.
Conservation Status in NSW: Critically Endangered
Commonwealth Status: Vulnerable
Along Australia’s east coast lives one of the ocean’s most misunderstood animals — the grey nurse shark (Carcharias taurus). Despite their fierce appearance, with rows of visible teeth and a slow, steady swimming style, grey nurse sharks are calm and non-aggressive toward people.
Once common along the NSW coastline, their numbers declined sharply due to historical fishing pressures and accidental capture in fishing gear. Today the east coast population is listed as critically endangered, with only a small number remaining.
Identification:
Born at about 1m in length the grey nurse shark has a large, stout body tapered at each end, a pointed snout and small eyes and can reach up to 3 metres in length.
- Teeth : visibly protrude from the mouth and have a small point on either side
- Dorsal fins: Two dorsal fins of equal size on top of torso
- Anal fin similar in size to the dorsal fin and sits on the under body
- Colouring: bronze skin with spots on the trunk and caudal fin with a white underbelly
(Department of Primary Industries)
Habitat & Diet:
Grey Nurse Sharks are predominantly found in inshore coastal waters. They are likely to be seen cruising around sandy bottoms and rocky caves, and close to reefs and islands. They have been recorded at depths up to 232 metres, but spend most of their time in waters less than 40 metres.
Greynurse Sharks congregate at a number of sites along the coast of NSW. These sites typically have rocky reef with gravel or sand filled gutters, overhangs or caves. They are known to travel hundreds of kilometres between sites in short periods of time, returning to the same sites in consecutive years.
Grey nurse sharks are carnivorous predators that have adapted to consume a variety of prey. Their diet mainly consists of:
- Fish: They hunt various species of fish, which make up a significant portion of their diet.
- Cephalopods: This includes squid and octopus, which they catch using their sharp teeth.
- Crustaceans: Grey nurse sharks also feed on crabs and lobsters, showcasing their opportunistic feeding behavior.
These sharks are known for their unique feeding strategy, which involves using their fang-like teeth to pierce and hold onto their prey. They are also known to scavenge on dead marine animals, which helps them survive in environments where food may be scarce.
Distribution:
Grey Nurse Sharks are a large shark native to subtropical to cool temperate waters. Once abundant across their range, the species is now restricted to Australia, the east coasts of North and South America and the southeast coast of South Africa. In Australia there are two separate and genetically-distinct populations on the east and west coasts.
In NSW, Grey Nurse Sharks are typically found in coastal inshore waters, around rocky reefs and boulders or sand filled gutters in water depths of 15 – 40 m but also spend some time in deeper waters.
They consistently occupy a relatively small number of locations along the NSW coast to feed, mate and pup termed ‘aggregation sites’, many of which are also popular fishing and diving locations. In NSW, tagged sharks have been recorded migrating over 800 km between aggregation sites in relatively short periods of time, and have shown to return to the same sites in consecutive years.
The largest and most significant Grey Nurse Shark aggregation sites in NSW are declared as ‘critical habitat’, meaning they are essential for the survival of the species.
Regularly spotted on the river at North Haven
Grey nurse sharks are found along the coast in our region and are regularly spotted along the break wall in North Haven. ABC Mid North coast news hosts this video linked below showing a group of grey nurse sharks swimming back and forth.
Under Threat:
Key threats to this species include:
- Hook and line fishing in areas important for the survival of threatened species has been identified as a key threatening process affecting Grey Nurse Sharks
- Accidental hooking on commercial and recreational fishing gear can result in internal injuries and death
- Historical declines in numbers due to targeted fishing and hunting
- Capture in beach safety (shark) mesh nets
- Illegal capture for sale of the fins
- The species’ very low potential for population recovery
Source: Department of Primary Industries.
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