Shark Imports To Strengthen East Coast Gene Pool

March 14, 2006

Release from: ABC News Online

Scientists want to import grey nurse sharks to Queensland and New South Wales.

Macquarie University scientists say excessive shark hunting in the 1960s and '70s has caused numbers to slump and they are in danger of disappearing.

Dr Adam Stow says sharks should be brought in from Western Australia or Africa to strengthen the east coast gene pool.

"The grey nurse shark at the moment is listed as critically endangered and what that means is most likely within our lifetime, without any management, the grey nurse shark will disappear," he said.

Scientists are also considering the pros and cons of artificially inseminating the sharks.

"As far as I know they haven't with the grey nurse shark and I imagine you'd do it very, very carefully. But I believe the technology is available and that's certainly something we'll be looking into," Dr Stow said.