July 12, 2021 As the current century progresses, the extinction risk for sharks, rays and chimaeras is set to rise in southern Australia with warming waters exacerbating the impact of commercial fishing, new research has found. Southern sharks and their relatives are also likely to compete with and be ‘pushed out’ by tropical species, such as bull and tiger sharks, as they migrate southwards into increasingly warmer waters. The study, co-authored by
Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) shark scientist
Dr Leonardo Guida , was published in the leading journal Fish and Fisheries. It found that if fishing persists at current levels, up to six currently threatened species, including the critically endangered school shark and endangered maugean skate, will have their recovery hampered because of competition from migrating tropical and sub-tropical species and changing habitats.