How does the NSW shark fishery affect protected Grey nurse sharks?
Grey nurse sharks are officially protected so are not allowed to be targeted or landed. However, accidental hookings still occur, both in commercial and recreational fisheries. Injured sharks trailing hooks and line are a common site at the Grey nurse key aggregation sites. Unfortunately for Grey nurse sharks, they often swallow baited hooks, thereby hooking themselves in the throat or gut rather than the mouth. Once gut hooked, a shark is likely to die eventually as a result of blood poisoning or starvation. For more information on Grey nurse sharks and what we need to do to prevent their extinction, visit our Adopt a Shark website.
