About Spot A Shark

Monitoring grey nurse sharks to 
achieve greater protection for them

Spot a Shark is a citizen science project focused on protecting critically endangered grey nurse sharks on Australia’s East Coast
(since 2006).

Spot a Shark’s success stories

Establishing a code of conduct for divers
Advocating for the removal of shark nets

Shark nets are killing grey nurse sharks.

  • For decades, NSW and QLD have used shark nets as part of bather protection programs, but these nets are failing to deliver on their promise. Instead, they’re causing a marine crisis.
  • Ineffective: Shark nets aim to catch great white, tiger, or bull sharks but are less than 10% successful in this mission, and more than 90% of the time catch and kill non-target species.
  • Deadly: Thousands of innocent animals, including endangered grey nurse sharks, turtles, seals, dolphins, whales and other endangered species, die in these nets each year.
  • Counterproductive: Nets actually attract larger sharks by providing an easy food source. Photos of bites out of animals caught in the nets proves this.
  • False sense of security: Contrary to popular belief, these nets do not span the entire beach, they do not reach the floor and do not reach the surface. The concept is as ridiculous as placing a volleyball net between you and the ocean. Sharks swim over, under and around the nets. They were first installed to rid the ocean of sharks back in 1937 when little was understood about sharks and their key role they play in oceans.
Photo ID

This species of shark has unique spot patterns along their flanks which can be used to identify individuals from one another. The Spot a Shark team reviews images collected by our team, shared with us by email and other social media channels, or uploaded directly to our parent sharkbook’s database to identify individuals. The Spot a Shark team collaborates with scientists to deepen our understanding of grey nurse sharks. By analysing unique spot patterns on individual sharks, we track their movements, health and behaviour.

Illustration of how we can use your photographs to track the health of sharks over time

Photo-ID can also be used to document impacts from recreational fishing. Images can help us understand the health of the sharks. Despite the shark being protected, their homes are largely unprotected. We have multiple images of sharks with fish hooks or wire traces hanging from their mouth or gills as a result. Some individuals face multiple injuries in quick succession. Hooks can be ingested by the sharks and can cause pain, starvation and a slow agonising death. The Spot a Shark team use these images to advocate for better protection of not just the sharks, but their homes too.

Illustration of how we can use your photographs to track the health of sharks over time

This was a progressive series of images of a shark individual across 5 months that show how the hook was still visible in the shark mouth for 4 months.

Shark Rescues

The Spot a Shark team has been involved in rescuing a number of sharks by coordinating responses from government approved vets. One such shark had a hook attached to its eye and mouth as shown here. The team were able to assist to help safely remove this hook and let this shark live her best life.

Community

The Spot a Shark initiative has been instrumental in uniting divers across the East Coast of Australia. Our platform has created a thriving community where individuals can share their experiences, knowledge, and passion for these magnificent creatures. By working together, we’re raising awareness about the plight of sharks and driving positive change. Join us in protecting these vital marine predators for future generations. Follow us at www.facebook.com/spotashark