DIVELOG JUNE 406

Our next lucrative film sales were to TV. Once again sharks were the big seller. By now we had wet suits, lights for the camera, and a bit of a reputation. The 1970s were busy times for the Taylors. We both gave up our day jobs and concentrated on underwater filming. There are many stories about those early days, but sharks were always in the picture specially the gentle Grey Nurse. The invention of the powerhead, an explosive device on the end of a spear, set me off on the "save the Grey Nurse" charge. Gung ho divers on scuba were killing dozens of these gentle sharks as they rested in their offshore gutters. I was finding over 60 dead sharks all power headed drifting over the sand in the 4 different gutters out from Seal Rocks that sent me on my quest to have killing marine animals while on scuba made unlawful. That was easy, fisheries were very much on side. In 1973, Ron and myself were busy shooting 13 TV half hour documentaries on the marine world for Channel 9 mainly around Australia. One episode called "The Grey Nurse Shark" had to have the name changed to "The Vanishing Grey Nurse Shark". Gutters where they were once plentiful held very few. We travelled to Wolf Rock Queensland diving offshore Grey Nurse gutters all the way. At Wolf Rock the weather was poor, the water dirty and the sharks scarce. This could have been due to the very poor diving conditions but we

both felt the Grey Nurse to be in need of protection from being killed for fun or sport. Once again I took on the government and fisheries. Using Ron’s footage of TV and newspaper stories our wonderful Grey Nurse became the first shark in the world to be protected by law. It did not occur to me that I should be having their gutters made into marine protected areas at the same time. Sir Peter Scott used to say "It's no use protecting the tiger if you don't protect the jungle" and I should have listened. The sharks very slowly increased in number. I am told they are slow breeders giving birth to 2 offspring every 2 to 3 years. Unfortunately, sports fishermen have also increased in number. In 2019, laws were relaxed, and recreational fishing was reintroduced at almost all of their known aggregation sites. It is now very common to see fishermen casting lines right above the very gutters and caves that the Grey Nurse reside peacefully during the day. Although Grey Nurse are not the target species of these fishers, a baited hook attached to a line with sinkers, or a hook in the eye or cutting through the gills is now a common sight. Their highest cause of mortality is also now known as being caused from these sharks ingesting recreational fishing gear. Once again my favourite shark is under serious threat. Their gutters along our coast must be made marine protected areas and restrict fishing within at least a 1km radius. ∆

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DIVE LOG Australasia #406 - June ‘24