If you fancy taking a virtual trip to the Coral Sea to see for yourself exactly why and how WWF is working hard to protect it, please tune in to Discovery Channel to watch ‘Mysteries of the Sharks Coast’ 7.30pm Sunday January 18th.

‘Mysteries of the Shark Coast’ was filmed almost entirely in Australia’s Coral Sea and follows a team of marine scientists as they undertake one of the largest shark tagging expedition in Australian history. Their mission: to try and understand the mysterious decline in shark populations in our tropical seas and what can be done to prevent it. The documentary provides an exciting and entertaining opportunity to gain an insight into some of the scientific research WWF-Australia has been supporting as part its campaign to Save the Coral Sea.

One of the key scientists featured in the movie is world renowned shark researcher Richard Fitzpatrick. Since the launch of the Coral Sea campaign in 2007, Richard’s research has been invaluable. Through the deployment of satellite, telemetry tags and underwater cameras we now know just how important the Coral Sea is in terms of providing at least one last stronghold for viable shark populations, such as endangered hammerheads, galapagos sharks and vulnerable grey and white tip reef sharks.

Alarmingly, we also now know just know how vulnerable these populations are to human impacts. For example, white tip and grey reef sharks are shown to be homebodies, never veering much further than 2nm nautical miles from their favorite reef - Osprey reef. This restricted movement makes them particularly vulnerable to the threats of overfishing- an illegal raid could literally wipe out the population overnight.

Watching the documentary will give you a real sense of the highs and lows of shark research and the patience required to get great results. You’ll also be amazed at the some of the new research that goes against the grain of what scientists thought they knew about our oceans top predators, showing just how important it is for conservationists, policymakers and decision makers to understand the movements and behaviors of these large and mobile species, particularly when it comes to designating and implementing effective marine protected areas. Just one of the reasons why WWF-Australia (with the kind support of Discovery Channel) hosted the movie premiere of ‘Mysteries of Shark Coast’ in Parliament house in November last year.

Unfortunately though the Coral Sea and its sharks still remain largely unprotected. In light of the ever increasing threats sharks face from overfishing, the shark fin trade and climate change it has never been so important to protect their habitat.

Watch the movie and it speaks for itself - We need the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Arts, Peter Garrett, to act quickly and declare the Coral Sea a Marine Protected Area, before it is too late.