News and Events

  • Of all the creatures that bite, sting, poison and even eat Australians, the great white shark or white pointer heads the list of most-feared animals. - 3/08/10
  • Sixgill shark—a species often referred to as prehistoric because of its resemblance to sharks living hundreds of millions of years ago—is seen biting on bait at a camera trap deep off Australia. It's part of a project to learn more about deep-sea creatures and possible correlations with human sight and brain development. - 3/08/10
  • The joy expressed by anglers at the wholesale lifting of the ban on catching mako sharks may be misplaced. - 12/07/10
  • The Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) has reinstated closures in the Seiner’s and Everard horseshoe areas off the Victorian coast within the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery.

    - 14/06/10
  • Warringah's beaches will be offered to trial a late start to the shark-meshing program. - 14/06/10
  • The Rudd Government says it will do all it can to support recreational fishers to continue fishing thresher sharks in a sustainable way. - 14/06/10
  • The secret life of Sydney’s bull sharks is beginning to be unlocked, with new data revealing the movement patterns of 11 tagged sharks in Sydney Harbour, NSW Primary Industries Minister, Steve Whan, said. - 14/06/10
  • Acoustic alarms will be fitted to Gold Coast shark nets this week in an attempt to avoid another disastrous whale migration season. - 14/06/10
  • It's a beautiful but rare sight - a seven metre whale shark cruises past divers off the Far Northern coast in a spotting tipped to be the only one of the year.
    - 14/06/10
  • The deep-sea secrets of the great white shark are being revealed through a tagging system which has tracked one predator more than 1100 kilometres in 11 days. - 14/06/10
  • Dr Peter Last and Dr William White from the CSIRO Wealth from Oceans Flagship and the Australian National Fish Collection are the book’s lead authors. - 14/06/10
  • The broad-nosed seven gill shark lay peacefully yesterday, its eyes shut, and its mouth full of razor-sharp teeth closed for the final time. - 18/05/10
  • Eating seafood these days comes with a catch.
    - 18/05/10
  • "It probably hung around the beach for a few weeks and then followed a school of mullet or something into the lake." - 18/05/10
  • Scientsits will soon catch tiger sharks by the tail on the Great Barrier Reef in an effort to better understand the sharks' feeding behaviour. - 18/05/10
  • Feel like annoying a shark? The Australian navy has approved a device that can help you do just that.
    - 18/05/10
  • Government fails to put legislation to overturn mako shark fishing ban on Senate agenda " Labor bows to Greens demands to not prioritise legislation in the Senate " Legislation may not be debated until after election, possibly not until 2011 - 18/05/10
  • Shark ecologists are working around Port Lincoln in South Australia tracking the movements of great white sharks. - 18/05/10
  • The reputation for being senseless killers that great white sharks have is rather undeserved.

    So says shark researcher Barry Bruce, who has studied the animals for more than 20 years. He said that, as more research about the species came to light, it was quite clear they did not ''actively hunt out people''. - 6/04/10
  • The commercial fishing sector is opposing a federal proposal for marine reserves across 2.4 million hectares of eastern Australian waters. - 6/04/10
  • A New Zealand great white shark has set a world record for the deepest ever known dive of 1200m.
    - 6/04/10
  • Parties overturn Committee decision to list porbeagle sharks under CITES Appendices and confirm rejection of similar action for hammerhead, oceanic whitetip, and spiny dogfish sharks.
    - 6/04/10
  • Researchers from the University of Newcastle and the Batemans Marine Park have discovered a species of stingray never before seen in Wagonga Inlet.
    - 4/02/10
  • A group of captivity-bred wobbegongs fitted with acoustic recording devices will be released at Shelly Beach tomorrow to transmit data about their movements back to scientists.
    - 4/02/10
  • The Federal Government will draft laws to allow recreational fishers to catch mako sharks.
    - 4/02/10
  • Three bull sharks living in Sydney waters have been tagged as part of a research project aimed at minimising the risk of shark attacks. - 3/02/10
  • Angry South East anglers have supported a petition to overturn the Federal Government’s ban on fishing three game shark species, following their recent listings as endangered.

    - 12/01/10
  • A major stretch of the Western Australian coastline is being put forward as the 18th national World Heritage site after a deal between State and Federal governments was struck to protect the Ningaloo Coast.
    - 8/01/10
  • They strike fear into the hearts of the most seasoned swimmers and surfers, and can empty a beach in minutes, but the fearsome great white shark could finally have met its match in the form of a humble text message.
    - 6/01/10
  • A shark expert says overfishing in South Australian waters may be causing sharks to swim closer to the shore. - 27/11/09
  • More than 80 species of sharks that frequent the Pacific oceans will now be protected under a new regional plan of action.
    - 26/11/09
  • A genetic study has shown the endangered population of grey nurse sharks off the east coast of Australia cannot rely on its cousins for help.
    - 26/11/09
  • Midweek shark patrols will be in the air over WA's beaches this summer, after Premier Colin Barnett announced the government's intention to spend a further $206,000 on the Surf Life Saving Western Australia (SLSWA) rescue helicopter.
    - 26/11/09
  • Australia and New Zealand will raise with EU officials the issue of two Spanish boats using huge nets, known as gillnets, in waters between the two countries.

    - 26/11/09
  • Marine biologists have discovered shark pups feed off their livers during the first few months of life. - 30/10/09
  • A 'monster' great white shark measuring up to 20 ft long is on the prowl off a popular Queensland beach, according to officials. - 30/10/09
  • Australia's most dangerous sharks will be monitored and shark netting improved, as the Queensland government tries to reduce the risk of attacks. - 30/10/09
  • An Australian method for assessing the environmental impact of marine fisheries has caught the eye of fishery management agencies worldwide. - 30/10/09
  • Tourists could be diving with great white sharks in Foveaux Strait, New Zealand this summer if a code of conduct can be agreed between operators and other parties.
    - 13/10/09
  • State Government scientists working to save the Grey Nurse shark received a boost today when Minister for Primary Industries, Ian Macdonald opened a new state-of-the-art Aquatic Ecosystems Laboratory at Port Stephens.
    - 10/10/09

  • The Proceedings of the OCS Workshop hosted by WWF – Australia at the Australian Museum, on 22 September 2008 is now available.

     - 17/03/09
  • The Winner of the OCS Passions of Paradise Research Award has been decided by the judges
    - 17/03/09