Every shark counts in underwater census

This weekend, red-blooded Aussie divers will be out in force to check their numbers in the nation's second dedicated shark-counting weekend as part of World Ocean Day, and to check that there are still plenty of jaws to go round.

So far, according to the Great Australian Shark Count, so good.

The count - which is a finalist in this year's United Nations Association of Australia excellence in marine and coastal management award - has logged more than 5000 shark sightings to date in 2008.

Divers and fishermen have reported sightings of 14 great whites, 77 tigers, and more than 440 whalers.

They also logged 837 sightings of endangered grey nurse sharks, which has encouraged environmentalists concerned that their numbers may have dwindled to as low as 300 to 500 in New South Wales...[The New Zealand Herald]