One white shark swam 11,000 kilometres from South Africa to Australia and back
A 30-year study found 29 shark and ray species cross borders. Only five have movement data with other countries.
Sharks and rays travel vast distances to feed, breed and find water at the right temperature. One white shark covered almost 11,000 kilometres.
It went from South Africa to Western Australia and returned home. School sharks cross the Tasman Sea to New Zealand.
They can travel up to 3,000 kilometres. Researchers examined three decades of shark and ray tracking studies.
They found 29 species known to cross international borders. Only five species have studies showing movements between Australian waters and other countries.
These countries include Indonesia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. Eighteen species had no published data about their movements.
Whale sharks are protected in Australia. But they travel thousands of kilometres beyond Australian waters.
There they face ship strikes and accidental capture. Australia cannot control these threats once the animals leave its territorial waters.
This shows why countries must work together.
- 11,000 kilometres
- White shark distance
- 30 years
- Study period
- 29
- Species crossing borders
- 5
- Species with Australia-other country
Why it mattersWithout knowing where migratory sharks go, countries cannot protect them well. They also cannot coordinate conservation across the oceans they share.
AustraliaAustralian waters are critical habitat for migrating sharks, but Australia's protections end at the border where the animals' real dangers often begin.
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