Sharks & Rays in Port Phillip Bay: Climate & Human Impact

0:00This is Adelaide News today. Every story, every city, every day. Researchers are tagging more than 100 sharks and stingrays in Port Phillip Bay to study how climate change and human activities affect them. Teams from Deakin University focus on meso-praydators like Port Jackson sharks, Banjo sharks, and Melbourne skates, which sit in the middle of the food, Webb. Populations have bounced back since commercial net fishing ended in 2022. In Swan Bay near the entrance, PhD student Luisa Graf tracks 60 Banjo sharks, spotting it as a key nursery where young ones stick around in. Sea grass habitats. These animals help balance ecosystems by moving nutrients and controlling smaller prey, but warming waters are shifting marine-like southward. A bull shark siding in eastern Victoria last year signals bigger changes ahead, as such aggressive species could invade the bay and disrupt locals. Meanwhile, illegal fishing has spiked after cuts to enforcement officers at the Victorian Fishing Authority.

1:00Researchers now see more poaching and protected areas, even as the government boosts the crime unit and notes high overall compliance. This tracking data will model future shifts, pinpoint hotspots, and guide more marine protected areas to keep sharks and rays safe amid rising. Threats.