GNS - NEW DATA:

[CEO]

  ECOfishers is aware of new data relating to the population dynamics of the East Coast Grey Nurse shark. We have been promised that data. We will post it as soon as it arrives. We can tell you all that the minimum number of GNS in the east coast population is now recognised as nearly 1000, (927 to be precise) That is almost three times the population of 300 the extreme green NCC were on about and got miles of airtime from the public broadcaster. (But not much from people who disagreed)

[CEO]

  One of the researchers who has completed this study is Carley Bansemer. ECOfishers first made contact with Carley years ago, when she was working for Qld NPWS and had an interest in the east coast population of Grey Nurses. So did ECOfishers! We first met her at Seaworld. This was before the famous Administrative Appeals Tribunal case brought by the extreme green NCC and defended by recreational fishers. ECOfishers contributed significantly to the costs of that case. And we won. We won for NSW recreational fishing families.
   Carley and her colleagues research, focussed on the fact that each individual GNS has a series of unique and individual spots on their bodies. Her idea was that these " individual identification tags," could be used to identify individual GNS.  She completed her research last year.
   The research "validates the pattern recognition process by providing unambiguous identification of individuals independently of their spots."  Hence there is no need for the convential "tagging techniques." (and associated stress to the sharks) to address key questions about this species'  ecology and population biology.
 Carley is now able to identify at least 927 individual GNS from about 24 different sites along the coast. And who knows how many there are in water too deep for SCUBA divers to explore?
            ANYONE HEARD FROM THE NCC LATELY?  WE WONDER WHY?

[CEO]

    HEALTHY HABITAT - HEALTHY FISHERY (AND SHARKERY!)

[ACTAngler]

GNS numbers have magically tripled!  Does that mean the Critical Habitat Zones are working?

[ACTAngler]

I take it these new figures come from this research project:

Grants (Funded Projects)
Population biology, distribution, movement patterns and conservation requirements of the grey nurse shark
Grant Body: Hermon Slade Foundation
Grant Period: 2007 - 2009
Value: $52,542

(source: Associate Professor Michael Bennett's webpage at http://profiles.bacs.uq.edu.au/Michael.Bennett.html)       

Anyone know who the Hermon Slade Foundation are?  A little Googling found their website at http://www.hermonslade.org.au/.

Bob Kearney is on their Research Committee http://www.hermonslade.org.au/committee.html

A list of their current projects is here http://www.hermonslade.org.au/summaries.html and completed projects here http://www.hermonslade.org.au/summ_comp.html

[ACTAngler]

Is the report which identifies 927 sharks available anywhere?

[CEO]

  The minister is promoting the artificial uterus they have developed for a captive breeding program for Grey Nurse sharks. Already they have successfully transferred Wobbegong embryos / zygotes to the artificial uterus, with preliminary success. This work is being done at Port Stephens. Fisheries scientist elsewhere have a joke going around about it. Macdonald's artificial uterus (not literally) is made from wood. And the joke among scientists is "Wooden it be funny if it worked?"

[clive]

  ECOfishers is aware of new data relating to the population dynamics of the East Coast Grey Nurse shark. We have been promised that data. We will post it as soon as it arrives. We can tell you all that the minimum number of GNS in the east coast population is now recognised as nearly 1000, (927 to be precise) That is almost three times the population of 300 the extreme green NCC were on about and got miles of airtime from the public broadcaster. (But not much from people who disagreed)

[clive]

  ECOfishers is aware of new data relating to the population dynamics of the East Coast Grey Nurse shark. We have been promised that data. We will post it as soon as it arrives. We can tell you all that the minimum number of GNS in the east coast population is now recognised as nearly 1000, (927 to be precise) That is almost three times the population of 300 the extreme green NCC were on about and got miles of airtime from the public broadcaster. (But not much from people who disagreed)

This just goes to show what ecofishers has been saying for years that there are more gns than had been suggested by greens. This needs to be rammed down MPA throat.

Clive

[CEO]

    Hmmm. Throat and elsewhere, Clive!

[ACTAngler]

Is the report which identifies 927 sharks available anywhere?

[ACTAngler]

Is the report which identifies 927 sharks available anywhere?

Thanks to Philip Creagh from the Narooma Ports Committee for forwarding me the report which ECOfishers seemed to want to keep to themselves.  If anyone else wants a copy, send me a message and I will forward it on.  I don't see any need to keep secrets, there's no Unity in that.

[CEO]

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[CEO]

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[CEO]

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