“Sharks can inspire awe, fear, respect, curiosity, concern and myths. Most people love talking about
sharks and we want people, particularly divers and fishers to be involved in monitoring and to
communicate what species they have seen and where so that we can all have a greater understanding of
sharks in Australian waters ” said Dr Adam Smith, National Chair of the Australian Underwater Federation
and a Board member of Recfish Australia.
The Great Australia Shark Count Project is modeled on the successful “Great American Fish Count”.
A web site was launched in November 2007 and we have already received over 300 shark sightings from
NSW, Qld, Victoria and WA. We hope that fishers and divers in SA, NT and Tas will be involved in the
future. We are aiming for 500 sightings by Xmas. The sightings so far include at least 10 species and we
have reports of large sharks such as 1 Great White Shark from NSW, 15 Tiger Sharks from Qld, 5 Seven
Gill Sharks from Victoria. The most common species sighted so far has been the Wobbegong and Port
Jackson Sharks. Many divers have reported over 10 sharks.
There are a number of diverse groups and individuals studying one or several species of sharks at
specific locations such as the Undersea Explorer Shark Research Project in the Coral Sea which states
that “There is very little known about the basic biology and ecology of tropical sharks. Over recent years
there has been an increased concern over the status of shark stocks around the world. The reproductive
strategies and life history of sharks make them extremely vulnerable to overfishing”. "The Great Australian
Shark Count is an excellent Australia-wide initiative for recreational fishers and the community to learn
about rare and common sharks, and be collectively involved in leadership, science, management and the
environment". Said Bill Sawknok, Manager, Recfish Research.
Dr Adam Smith, National Chair of the AUF and co-ordinator of the project said “Now is a unique
opportunity to work in partnership with key national and state bodies and lay a platform for future
community monitoring and management of sharks and key fisheries”. The AUF is very interested to work
in partnership with community groups, government, business and individuals to be involved in this exciting
project.
All major participants will also be supported with some fantastic incentives such as calendars, t-shirts and
wetsuits.
To report a shark sighting please go to http://www.auf-spearfishing.com.au
If you require more information please contact Michael Rupnik, Executive Officer on shark@auf.com.au or
on 0400 367 424

Great result! Keep up the good work guys.

For those that haven't logged sightings, it's pretty simple. As mentioned, there are random prizes (wetsuits) available to those who submit reports.

_________________
RIDE THE BULL!!!!!

Do Banjo Sharks count or would that fall under "skates & rays"?

Hi Squire

If you go to the AUF site, you will see that they have nominated certain species. I do not think that Banjos are on the list.

(What is the acronym for Banjo Shark? BS? BJ? )

_________________
RIDE THE BULL!!!!!

Dear skindiver
The Great Australian Shark Count is going very well
We now have over 1200 sightings (see www.auf.com.au and table below)
Most common observations are Grey Reef Shark followed by Wobbygong Shark
Largest number of sightings from Qld and NSW and followed by Vic, WA, SA, Tas - none yet from NT
Thanks in particular to BWHI, Oly Wady and Eddie Skerry for their large contributions so far.
Please keep up the good work

Those that have contributed in November have received a FREE fantastic fish calendar in the mail and two lucky divers will soon receive a free blue camo "Shark Count" wetsuit
Data verification for December will be undertaken this week and 4 lucky divers will also receive wetsuits (who will they be?) and others will receive letter and product such as sticker or t-shirt (and posters coming soon)
All data will then be posted on the AUF website

Please circulate to your club members and encourage them to be involved and log their sightings and encourage others
For more information please contact Michael Rupnik at shark@auf.com.au or 0400367424

Regards

Dr Adam Smith


Queensland 639
New South Wales 595
Victoria 40
Western Australia 13
South Australia 3
Tasmania 2


Species # Counted
Grey Reef Shark 308
Wobbegong Shark 245
Whitetip Reef Shark 163
Port Jackson Shark 128
Grey Nurse Shark 117
Other 109
Whalers (several species) 82
Blacktip Reef Shark 55
Tiger Shark 29
Seven Gill Shark 10
Great White Shark 2

--

Remember this?

To date, Vic has only record 77 sharks.
Thats only 33 more than in January, meanwhile, other states have more than tripled their sightings.
Please get behind this. Its not only good for the sharks, for spearfishing, you might win something including one of these super cool wetties!



As a bonus to the usual prizes you could will. I'll give away a Great Australian Shark Count T-shit to the Victoria that has the most sightings during April.
Even if you see a wobby, a port jackson, 7-gill......... please take the time to record it.

How will this project help spearfishing. Lots of ways. But a recent example was during the first of the dedicated shark counting weekends. On one day, there was nearly 70 grey nurse sharks counted in the area around the Solitary Islands Marine Park alone! About 1/4 to 1/5 the total population estimated by NSW Fisheries! On the way home we logged another 20 at Forster. That sort of data can be used to help a case disputing NSW Fisheries results.

Please make the effort.

3 more sharks and we are over the 100! Lets get there this weekend

Who do I own the T-shirt to?