The Conservation Council’s White Sharks Count project has proven a huge 
success, with 63 reports of shark sightings received from commercial and recreational fishers, charter boat operators and other users of South Australia's marine environment.
The purpose of the project is to use sighting of white sharks by the general public to build a picture of the sharks status and movements in local waters. This previously untapped resource is a simple yet effective way of getting the community involved with a real conservation project.
The white shark, which has lived in our oceans for millions of years, is protected under both Commonwealth and State legislation due to its hugely reduced numbers and its extremely slow recovery rate.
This website contains some fact sheets on the white shark, an up to date sightings map and a link for you to report a sighting. Remember if you see one, DON'T JUST TELL YOUR MATES!
The 63 reported sightings to date have been a really good start to the white shark count. Looking at the sighting data gathered so far some clear patterns are emerging. For starters it is obvious that there are a higher number of sightings around Whyalla, Ceduna and other coastal settlements. It is also noted that the sightings are for generally medium sharks, with few reported that are under a metre and only 1 over 6 metres. However, unfortunately there are still not enough sightings to begin to look at the relationships between size and location, sex and location or any of those other aspects that this project one day endeavours to address. Te project is only just beginning to get the number of sightings to start to draw some information out of the data. In short more sightings are need before some conclusions can be reached.
