Maybe 500 Gray Nurse Sharks Left In Australian Waters - BBC

[hatrack]

They are known affectionately as the "Labradors of the ocean", but grey nurse sharks are facing a fight for survival in Australia.
It is estimated there are fewer than 500 of these docile creatures left in Australian waters. Most live off the east coast. Despite its fearsome appearance, the grey nurse (Carcharias taurus) is not a man-eater.

Environmentalists have said their numbers continue to fall despite the grey nurse shark being a protected species, which it has been since 1984. Blame is laid at the feet - or rather the hooks - of fishermen who inadvertently catch them. Conservationists and scientists have held what they have described as "crisis talks" in Sydney.

They are now threatening legal action to force the country's political leaders to do more. "The grey nurse shark situation is critical," warned Ian Cohen, a Green member of the New South Wales state parliament.

"We're likely to see the demise of this species on the east coast of Australia in the next 10 to 15 years. It is really a desperate situation when we look at the continued threat through both recreational and professional fishing practices," he told the BBC.

EDIT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5414410.stm

[MuseRider]

1. So sad.

They are indeed gentle although they could bite you I suppose. I have laid down in the sand next to one and just looked at it. I went on my way and it just stayed there unbothered by my curiosity.

We have to change everything we are currently doing or we are not going to survive this. Man, I hate to read your posts but they are extremely important.

[nam78_two]

2. Really sad/nt