Grey nurse shark

[ACTAngler]

Hi cap,

do you mean this one?

What:  Marine Stakeholders Forum

Host:  Southern Rivers Catchment Management Authority

Where: Murramarang Ecopoint Resort
Banyandah St, South Durras

When: Wednesday May 16, 2007
9:30am to 4:30pm

[cap]

Hi ACT not that one

further info was Shellharbour Workers Club but not sure one exact dates

the local dive propritor was a bit coy about it

[ACTAngler]

Hope it's on the 23rd, I'll go to that as well.  Reckon you could chase it up please cap?

[Mel]

Attended yesterdays GNS information night at Dee Why Bowling Club. Nothing has changed. Same old guff. DPI still vehemently denying there are more than 500 GNS and claiming numbers are still dwindling.

Recent revelations concerning their shortcomings with their science are completely ignored and they are still in a state of denial with the August 2003 survey and the implications from the 2 subsets in the June survey.

Human induced mortality is claimed to be 9 per annum with no change since critical habitat zoning was introduced. Even with a population of only 500 that is less than 2%, hardly significant when considering their claim of natural mortality being 16.82%

Now they say males mature at 6 to 7 years and females at 12 years and they live for 38 years rather than 25.

Quoted old figures on quasi extinction rates (at least 4 years old) claiming a worst case scenario of 6 to 8 years to qhasi extinction ( crikey, the should be almost extinct by now).

The most amazing claim was that the 24 GNS tagged on both dorsals had shed their tags. Isn't it amazing. These tags are retained when they are attached to ear cartilage in cattle but are not retained when placed in much thicker cartilage in GnS.

Impressions - three young, inexperienced DPI staff put in an untenable position by their department chiefs.

[Mel]

Biologist takes axe to the 'myth' of Grey Nurse extinction.

Ron "Rabbit" Warren, Environment writer
April 1, 2007

CLAIMS that a species of shark in NSW were on the brink of extinction have been challenged by a leading biologist who insists the truth has been lost in the frantic rush for headlines.
The 1994 claim of the sharks disappearing spawned international media coverage on the back of the claim that the sharks were wiped-out by spear fishermen with explosive powerheads.


An item by biologist Alfred Greer published this month claims the evidence for this link is weak, but has been allowed by a decision to put the publicity and promotional value of the discovery ahead of the scientific reality.

Dr Greer said there was almost no evidence to support the claim that the grey nurse shark 'demise' was anything less than inacurate sightings based almost entirely by dive tour operaters who were themselves responsible for scaring the shark from its favoured resting places, but was fuelled by a scientific and media race to earn accolades and publicity from such a story.

It was more appropriate to claim that the sharks, which are now present in many previously unknown diving locations were probably always there and were simply not counted by the sole state fisheries biologist in charge of gathering evidence to support the hysterical claims, he said.

While the distinction may seem subtle, Dr Greer said a more modest, if not realistic, interpretation would not have captured the public's imagination.

"The story behind the Grey Nurse shark story is revealing for how scientific caution and balance can be lost when a discovery is pitched to maximise public notice," he said.

Dr Greer's theory was challenged by the executive director of the former Manly Marinelands in Sydney, Tom Bentwistle, who said there was a lot of evidence showing the Grey Nurse sharks were an endangered species that could be best seen in an aquarium.

Despite the attractiveness of the story behind the shark vanishing, scientists were extremely circumspect in leaping to conclusions, which resulted in the sharks being given total protection in Queensland and New South Wales, he said.

"What we've got with the Grey Nurse shark is a link to climate change and seasonal crop variations similar to that with kangaroos.  In good times the shark population is high and balanced by available food supply.  In a poor season the sharks withhold giving birth, Dr Bentwistle said.

The Royal Taronga Park Zoo has propagated siblings from a female Grey Nurse shark. An example of the shark can be seen in their aquarium for an admission fee of $5 daily.

Underwater photographer Adam Hews introduced his grandchildren, Jack Evans, 75, and Evie Evans, 93, to one last week.

[Oly]

Ha, ha I love the ironic twist.

They are endangered, anyone speaking against this is wrong  but you can best see one from the following place, for this cost

[ACTAngler]

Here are two pictures taken at Seal Rocks earlier this month (courtesy of Darryl Bullock).  Plenty of GNS around, about 60 this day!!!

[enzo]

hey all,
saw the article about grey nurse and an intervention order against the NCC court case. Go Mel. At least its still in the limelight and being pursued. Good work to all. I make sure ive spread the word far and wide about this sort of crap being published by groups like the NCC. Anyway more dteails would be great please keep us all posted.
vaughan aka enzo

[Dr. Phil]

The following was on Ecofishers on 22/10/2007

The following Media Release was sent out this morning (22/10/2007).  I think the points that have been made in the GNS fiasco weigh more heavily on the side of the recreational fishing interests and the Commonwealth Government.  Salient points from the hearing are:

1.  Dr. Otway's work on "Mark-recapture" and "Estimating the rate ..." came under HEAVY querying from Drs. Pepperell and Lincoln-Smith.

2.  Lincoln Smith and Pepperell raised the possibility that in fact the GNS numbers WERE increasing based on Otways papers of 1999 and 2003.  Otway rejected this (unconvincingly).

3.  Dr. Otway's paper "Estimating the rate ..." in fact shows that the GNS is doomed to extinction even with NO externally caused mortalities.  This raises, of course, the interesting philosophical question ... How did the GNS ever come into existence if its reproductive biology is so primitive that it does NOT have a positive growth rate.  Otway solved this conundrum by adding the revised estimates etc.

4.  Dr. Otway appeared for the Commonwealth Government.  Dr Peddemoors appeared for the NCC and Lincoln Smith and Pepperell appeared for the Recreational fishing interests whose legal representation was arranged by John Harrison from Recfish.  To my continuing amazement, Otway's work was used by the NCC and if anything OItway seemed to lean towards the NCC argument, rather than the Commonwealth's argument.  I wondered why Otway was not regarded as a "hostile witness".  Peddemoors made very little contribution.

5.  The NCC is making much of the NSW Governments "extra protection requirements" after November 16th 2006.  It appears this is when the export permit is reviewed again by the Commonwealth.  MUCH leverage must be made on the Commonwealth and State Government to review the decision by the Tribunal, and whether the PRESENT protection arrangements are sufficient.

6.  Have Marrine Parks in NSW been used by the NSW Government as de facto means of establishing "extra protection" in order to satisfy the Commonwealth Government?

Dr. Philip Creagh BVSc.
Chairman
Narooma Port Committee
PO Box 596,  Narooma, NSW, 2546

NAROOMA PORT COMMITTEE 

MEDIA RELEASE ... "Administrative Appeals Tribunal rejects the claim by the Nature Conservation Council for unwarranted fishing exclusion zones."

Dr. Philip Creagh, Chairman of the Narooma Port Committee, said " we welcome, as a victory for logic and common sense, the recent decision by Justice Downes of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) to reject the case put forward by the Nature Conservation Council (NCC) to close off substantial fishing areas around 18 sites identified by the NCC as Grey Nurse Shark habitat sites.  It gives rural and regional New South Wales a temporary reprieve from vexatious litigation mounted by Sydney based, Government funded, Green conservation groups "

As Dr. Creagh explained "The NCC's case relied extensively on a "mark-recapture study" done by the Dr N. Otway, NSW Department of Fisheries, in 2003, and his 2004 paper "Estimating the rate of quasi-extinction of the Australian Grey Nurse Shark".  The "Mark-recapture" study attempted to clarify the numbers of Grey Nurse Sharks off the NSW Coast.  It produced an estimate of 410 to 461 GNS with an upper limit of 766."  The second paper, based on these figures, gave varying times to extinction ranging from 6 years to 300 years. 

These two papers were examined closely by the AAT. 

Two expert witnesses, Dr. Julian Pepperell and Dr. Lincoln Smith, appearing for the recreation fishing groups, called into question 4 key assumptions that needed to be satisfied in the "Mark-recapture" study.  They also queried a previously unpublished survey performed in August 2003, which had been kept secret from the public.  This survey showed a huge disparity in estimated population size of the Grey Nurse Shark compared to Dr. Otway's estimate from the earlier survey.  Justice Downes concluded that these factors suggested that "Dr. Otway's mark recapture study....was unreliable".

Dr. Otway's calculations as to the time to extinction for the shark was further examined.  As published, it shows that the grey Nurse Shark is INEVITABLY going to become extinct.  This is because of its unusual reproductive biology.  It has nothing to do with the effects of fishing.  However Dr. Otway produced, at this late stage of the hearing, revised figures for the onset of reproductive age and the maximum age of the shark, which gave the shark a better chance of survival.  Justice Downes is quite rightly "concerned that the biology of Grey Nurse Sharks is only just becoming known."

Further evidence submitted by Dr. Otway earlier in the Hearing, and unable to be cross-examined, claimed that Montague Island had been the site of six female Grey Nurse Shark mortalities since 2002.  Dr. Creagh claims that "In the absence of any proof, this is a fabrication. Narooma, is a small Coastal community very close to Montague Island and together with the substantial fines associated with killing or injuring a GNS, the community, local fisheries officers and the media would be aware of even one incident, let alone six.

The Narooma Port Committee calls on the DPI to release all relevant information related to the alleged deaths of the six sharks.

Dr. Creagh concluded, "The case has been a waste of taxpayer money, with five Barristers appearing and the resources of the Environmental Defender's Office at the disposal of conservation groups.  Serious questions have to be asked as to the integrity of Conservation groups who rush to vexatious litigation, when these precious funds could have been used to correctly ascertain the status of the Grey Nurse Shark." 

It is obvious that there is much anecdotal evidence of a far greater number of sharks of the NSW coast than is currently thought.  Because of community distrust of the Conservation section of the NSW Department of Fisheries, these sites may never be revealed.  This is a sad indictment of the feeling of rural and regional areas to environmental zealots within the bureaucracy of the NSW Government and Sydney based Conservation groups."

[Nete-Quette]

Central Coast Express Advocate - 24-10-07

[Nete-Quette]

2-11-07

[CEO]

And the government continues to fund these "No Credibility Councils," from our taxes. What is the solution? And I'll bet they draw their salaries from the government grants. What is to be done about this political rort. They were even represented on ACoRF!!!.

[Nete-Quette]

Northern Star - Legal Bid Fails

[CEO]

Hmmmm. The Northern Star declines to run any of the NCC's press releases. They have done for years.  And we all know the reason why. This little item was sourced from AAP, by the sports editor, after a little prompting from ECOfishers. Now here is an opportunity for all, to have a free kick, courtesy of the Northern Star. Go for it.