A monitoring program by the Department of Environment and Science has captured stunning vision of dozens of heavily pregnant grey nurse sharks congregating at Wolf Rock.
Senior conservation officer Dr Carley Kilpatrick said the mature females had been at Wolf Rock for almost a year, and were expected to depart any day now for their pupping waters in New South Wales waters to give birth.
"Wolf Rock in the Great Sandy Marine Park is the only known gestation site for the east coast grey nurse shark population," Dr Kilpatrick said.
There are four designated grey nurse shark areas in Queensland, three in the Moreton Bay Marine Park and Wolf Rock in the Great Sandy Marine Park.
Dr Kilpatrick said these designated grey nurse shark areas protected the species and their habitat, while overlapping marine national park zones minimised potential harm caused directly or indirectly to the population by human activities.
"The east coast population of grey nurse sharks is thought to number less than 2000 individuals, and the species is listed as endangered in Queensland," she said.
Once the sharks have given birth in NSW waters, they will rest for two to three years and then return to Wolf Rock to breed again.
Dr Kilpatrick said during her latest monitoring trip, marine rangers estimated there were more than 50 pregnant females moving gracefully at Wolf Rock.
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service conducts regular monitoring programs at Wolf Rock by using visual counts, photo-identification and acoustic telemetry work.
"This is extremely important work, because it allows us to identify and monitor individual sharks through photos and videos," she said.
Dr Kilpatrick said tagged sharks provided intel about how they use these important sites as well.
"A female grey nurse reaches sexual maturity around nine to 10 years and has a gestation period of around twelve months.
"She will give birth to two pups every two to three years, so the grey nurse shark population is slow growing," she said.
The dive team also recorded a few mature male sharks who will now wait patiently for the arrival of a new group of females from NSW waters for the next mating season.
