This record provides an overview of the scope and research output of NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub Project A13 - "Estimation of population abundance and mixing of southern right whales in the Australian and New Zealand regions". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- A comprehensive understanding of the population abundance and degree of spatial connectivity of southern right whales in Australian waters is currently lacking. This limits assessments of the species recovery and understanding of the nature and degree of difference between the south-eastern and south-western Australian populations. This project will provide, for the first time, an abundance estimate of the total Australian population of southern right whales. It will also investigate the connectedness of whales that utilise breeding areas on the eastern, southern and western coasts of Australia. Information provided by this project will allow the Australian government to better evaluate progress made against the Conservation Management Plan for southern right whales and ensure conservation efforts for the species are effectively coordinated at the regional level. Planned Outputs • Data summaries for populating models used to estimate abundance and connectivity • An estimate of population abundance at the national scale and associated uncertainty • An evaluation of movement and spatial mixing across southern Australia

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2023 project "Eastern Grey Nurse Shark population abundance and trend". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- The eastern population of grey nurse shark, Carcharius taurus, is listed as Critically Endangered under the EPBC Act 1999, and a strategy to ensure recovery was implemented in 2002 with the development of the first recovery plan. The recovery plan updated in 2014 identifies priorities that require ongoing research that form the basis of this proposed project. This includes research to refine the abundance and trend estimate for the eastern Australian population of grey nurse shark and examine the potential for range expansion into Victorian waters. This will add value to recent age and growth estimates and examine epigenetic ageing of juveniles. Such information is important to inform the assessment of current conservation arrangements such as spatial closures. Outputs • Tissue samples and extracted products from juvenile grey nurse sharks [dataset] • Final project report [written]