It was the perfect setting - a warm, summer's day at one of Sydney's prettiest beaches. A huge crowd had turned out to watch our captive bred wobbegongs be released into the wild. Five, 6 year old, 1.2m sharks were fitted with accoustic tags and released into Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve - 3 from the shore and 2 from the Sydney Aquarium boat that was anchored 100 or so metres from the shore.

Despite a record and very enthusiastic crowd, the release went without a hitch. And the immense satisfaction of releasing an animal into the wild was felt by all.

The release forms part of a research project on how well captive bred wobbegongs do in the wild and the impact of their release on wild populations. So far, based on data collected from our first release, the news is good. Of the 10 wobbegongs released in mid-2008, consistent signals are being picked up from four. Not only are the wobbys doing well in the wild, but they seem to like their new home!

Click here to see some of the images from the day.

Image courtesy of Jayne Jenkins

A female dugong over 2m was found floating on the surface off Coogee beach this morning after being fatally caught in a shark net. The animal was found by lifeguards although it is alleged that the Fisheries department were informed of the situation last night. The gentle herbivores are not often found in Sydney waters, inhabiting warmer, tropical waters. It's likely she drifted south on the warm currents before being captured in the net. The animal has been taken to Taronga zoo for an autopsy for further information. Another dugong, male, was fatally caught in shark nets off Freshwater in 2007. 

Shark nets are only deployed in NSW (between Wollongong and Newcastle), Queensland and South Africa. Measuring just 150m wide they are randomly deployed and move from beach to beach from day to day. Sharks are able to swim around the nets, in fact around 40% of sharks are caught on the beachside of the nets as they head back out to sea.

The nets are an antiquated, ineffective tool that does not serve its primary purpose of protecting the public. Both open beach shark attacks that occurred last summer (Avalon & Bondi) had nets deployed at the time.

If you'd like to help us put pressure on the State Govt to implement alternatives please click here to fill out our online survey and let us know what you think of shark nets.

Two of the three turtles that were rescued by a resident of Manly and taken to Oceanworld have been released off Lord Howe Island. Oceanworld in a co-ordinated effort with National Parks and Wildlife Service and Taronga Zoo, were obligated to release the rehabilitated, gorgeous baby Green turtles, Lola and Notches, due to their conservation status. Green turtles are listed as endangered on the IUCN list and if in good health, must be released into the wild.

The babies underwent intense behavioural preparation with their keeper, Marina Tsamoulos to give them the best possible chance of survival in the wild. Turtles are known to have an extremely small survival rate on their slow path to adulthood. About 1 in a hundred survive to the juvenile stage, and an even smaller 1 in a thousand survive to adulthood. An adult Green turtle, if it makes it, can live up to an incredible 80 years old in the wild.

We wish the babies the best of luck!

Up to 50% of natural intertidal coastal habitat around the world has been replaced by artificial seawalls. As a result biodiversity in these zones has declined significantly. But scientists at the Centre for Research on the Ecological Impacts of Coastal Cities at the University of Sydney have come up with a very simple solution. Placing flower pots on the artificial structures has encouraged new species of algae, crustaceans and sponges  to the area and increased biodiversity by between three to five times. This research has shown that by adding small cavities into seawalls, biodiversity can still flourish. This is heartening news in the face of increased urbanisation of coastal areas. Click here to read the full story.