They're A Weirder Mob Off The Coast
Newcastle Herald
Friday September 19, 2008
WORLD experts will discuss the discovery of 100 shark and ray species in Australian waters and how best to protect them.
Most species were found off the east coast and one, the collared carpet shark, was so rare the only known example was found in the belly of another shark. The two-day meeting of 60 shark and ray experts in Sydney under the banner of the Oceania Chondrichthyan Society will begin on Monday.The experts will discuss the status, trends and management of sharks globally with special attention on the 18-month CSIRO research project that named and described the new species. The scientists are expected to call for more research funding and for stronger management of fisheries. A four-year exploration around Lizard and Heron islands, in the Great Barrier Reef, and Ningaloo Reef, in north-western Australia, has turned up hundreds of weird and wonderful species.Among them are the green banded snapping shrimp, upside-down jellyfish and crustaceans that invade the mouths of fish and eat their tongues.The inventory is part of a worldwide Census of Marine Life, which is set to release its results in 2010. The census aims to help protect the world's besieged coral reef ecosystems. AAP
© 2008 Newcastle Herald