IUCN Red List Assessment
Red List Category
Red List Criteria
The Grey Nurse Shark (Carcharias taurus) is a large, coastal shark with a disjunct distribution, occurring in most subtropical and warm temperate oceans, except for the Eastern Pacific. It has a strongly K-selected life history and produces only two large pups per litter. As a result, annual rates of population increase are very low, greatly reducing its ability to sustain fishing pressure. Populations in several locations have been severely depleted by commercial fishing, spearfishing and protective beach meshing, requiring the introduction of specific management measures.
- 1996Endangered(Baillie and Groombridge 1996)