Scientists tested the DNA of Australia's great white sharks. The results surprised them
There could be fewer than 500 adult breeding great white sharks across almost 60,000 kilometres of Australian coastline, a figure which challenges perceptions the number of white sharks is increasing.
A DNA study of Australia's great white sharks – the first of its kind into the effective shark population across the continent – showed high levels of interrelation among white sharks on the east, west and southern coasts.
Experts warn the high level of relatedness among juvenile and subadult Australian white sharks indicates a relatively small adult breeding population.
To conduct the groundbreaking research, scientists mapped the DNA of 650 great whites captured by the NSW shark management program, conducting biopsies and releasing them.
They identified 275 full siblings, and 511 half siblings, of great whites roaming along the east coast and 12 full-sibling relationships and 29 half siblings in the southern oceans.
Since 2015, the NSW Department of Primary Industries has engaged in the largest shark-tracking project in the world; capturing, tagging and tracking more than 1300 great whites.
Researchers were able to show the sharks in both southern Australia, and the east coast, were closely related and migrated between regions.
They found the great whites tended to congregate in regions based on their life stages, with large subadults and adult sharks in southern waters, and juvenile and small subadult sharks predominating on the east coast.
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