June 2004
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SHARKS GET A BITE AT MARINE WILDLIFE WORKSHOPCRC Reef organised a Marine Wildlife Workshop in March to help forge closer links between managers, stakeholders and students researching marine wildlife. Students presented the results of their research on sea turtles, dugongs, sharks and dolphins, and outlined how their findings can be used by managers to protect these species. CRC Reef Associate Student Mr Will Robbins, from James Cook University, told the workshop that sharks have more in common with marine mammals such as dolphins and dugongs than with other fish, and need specific management to ensure their ecological sustainability.
“Sharks are not like other fish, because they have internal fertilisation, and give birth to fully developed pups after quite long pregnancies,” says Mr Robbins. “White-tip reef sharks, for example, live for up to 19 years, and only give birth to one or two pups every couple of years after they mature. This means that fishing can make a big difference to shark populations.” Mr Robbins hopes to calculate mortality levels that are sustainable for these species of reef sharks, and help managers develop strategies for managing their catch. The workshop was attended by managers from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, and the Department of Primary Industries. Stakeholders from Indigenous, fishing and conservation groups, and scientists from James Cook University and the Museum of Tropical Queensland also attended. The students are now developing policy briefings intended to assist managers to access and consider current research knowledge in their policy-making processes. These will be published on the CRC Reef website. For more information contact Dr Britta Schaffelke, Manager of Knowledge
Exchange and Education, CRC Reef, britta.schaffelke@crcreef.com |
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