🌊🦈 Terrigal Haven has no protected marine sanctuary. Critically endangered Grey Nurse Sharks and protected species are being harmed here. 

Terrigal Haven is home to some of Australia's most vulnerable marine life. Grey Nurse Sharks gather here. Green Turtles feed in these waters.  The Eastern Blue Groper, seadragons, dolphins, and migrating humpback whales all depend on this coastline. Yet nothing is stopping recreational fishing, and human disturbance from harming them every single day.

Grey Nurse Sharks are critically endangered. Only approximately 1,420 adults remain on Australia's entire east coast. They breed once every two years. They recover slowly. Every injury, every death, pushes them closer to extinction.

And they are being killed here.

In March 2026, images emerged on social media showing a dead Grey Nurse Shark on the rocks at Terrigal Haven with a hook in its mouth. The shark had been one of more than a dozen frequenting the Haven for months, captivating local swimmers, snorkellers, and divers. The Central Coast community was devastated.

This was not the only occasion in recent years. Local social media documents photographs of at least two other Grey Nurse fatalities resulting from recreational fishing. One in December 2025 and another in March 2024. 

Other protected species are also being killed or harmed in these waters.

Terry the Green Turtle was rescued from these same waters with fishing line wound so tightly around his flipper that the damage was irreversible. Green Turtles are endangered. Vets described Terry's injuries as one of the worst fishing line injuries they had ever seen. His flipper had to be amputated. Terry spent months recovering before he was well enough to be released.

In December 2025, a protected Blue Groper was recklessly speared and killed by a recreational spear fisher. Growing up to 40kg, and living up to 35 years, the Eastern Blue Groper is known as a friendly and curious fish, making them easy prey for spear fishing. Thankfully, thanks to AJP MP Emma Hurst, the Blue Groper has been a protected species in NSW since early 2024.

This is what happens when critical marine habitat is left completely unprotected. 

There is currently no declared Grey Nurse Shark aggregation site anywhere between Little Broughton Island and Malabar's Magic Point. Terrigal Haven sits right in that gap.

What we're calling for:

Urgently establish a protected “No take” Aquatic Reserve Zone at Terrigal Haven and surrounding waters, with enforceable restrictions on harmful fishing practices that threaten Grey Nurse Sharks and other vulnerable marine species

Terrigal Haven is irreplaceable. The animals who call it home cannot wait.

✍️ Sign now to protect Terrigal Haven marine life.

Read more here