Offshore industries could lead to shark deafness, death: Aussie researcher

Australian researchers have warned some species of sharks may be vulnerable to the growing level of man-made noise produced in the oceans.

Researchers at the University of Western Australia have found some shark species are particularly sensitive to low-frequency sounds, similar to those produced by offshore industries.

UWA PhD candidate Lucille Chapuis told Australia's national broadcaster on Friday that the low frequency sound could have profound impacts.

Loud noises can damage hair cells in the ear of fish, causing deafness and possibly leading to death.

Chapuis said the same scenario could manifest in sharks.

Sharks do not have an obvious outer ear, instead they have two small holes on the top of their head that lead to an inner ear, which is sensitive to underwater vibrations and sounds.

"They're going to use this sense to find their way in the reef, to find their prey, to fight to get away from predators and to find mates," Chapuis said.

Chapuis said that if a shark - many of which are territorial by nature and do not move away from a specific zone - was to lose its hearing and potentially die, it could have devastating impacts.

"There's almost 500 species of sharks and most of the species are living on a patch of reef and not leaving basically for their whole life and that's the species that we need to protect and to know more about because they're part of the reef and they contribute to the health of the reef," Chapuis said.

"So if they're going to be impacted, then the whole reef system is going to be degraded." Endi