Sharks conjure deep feelings in people - it may be instinctual or perhaps a byproduct of horror films like ‘Jaws’.

In any event, over-fishing is driving reef sharks toward extinction and globally more than a third of all sharks species are now threatened with extinction. Australia is a bright spot, however what is being considered to ensure these species survive in the world’s ecosystems?

 

4ZZZ's Eliot Rifkin chats about sharks with Colin Simpfendorfer a Professor of Marine Biology from James Cook University’s  College of Science and Engineering.

For a deep dive...

Explore Professor Colin Simpfendorfer’s research on his bio page. Check out the research that Colin mentioned in this chat, the world’s largest reef shark and ray survey… the Global Finprint report and the Shark and Ray Report Card

If you’d like to see how the individual Chondrichtyes (Sharks, Rays Chimera) are faring by species, visit the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Red List of Threatened Species or their IUCN’s Shark Specialist Group. There's also insightful info on sharks at World Wildlife.  

…and if you’d like to learn about Australia’s sharks in particular, go to The Oceania Chondrichthyan Society (OCS) website which works towards improved understanding, sustainable use, and conservation of sharks and rays in the Indo-Pacific region. 

Want to get more hands-on? Become a Shark Conservation Volunteer on shark research projects during your vacation. There’s current international shark projects at VolunteerWorld or Oceans Research

…and finally, if you’d like to be inspired in Marine Biology as Colin Simpfendorfer was, watch the grand-daddy of Marine Research, Jacques Cousteau on YouTube - here’s the link to his full documentary TV series (37 eps) from the 1960s thru the 70s, The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau