true

ISRA FACTSHEETS

AUSTRALIA AND SOUTHEAST INDIAN OCEAN

ISRA FACTSHEETS

AUSTRALIA AND SOUTHEAST INDIAN OCEAN

Burleigh-Kirra ISRA

143/158

Burleigh-Kirra ISRA

Burleigh-Kirra

Summary

Burleigh-Kirra is located in southeast Queensland, Australia. The area spans ~10 km of coastline from Burleigh Heads in the north to Kirra Reef in the south. The area is characterised by sandy substrates, with Kirra Reef itself comprised of scattered rocky reef outcrops adjacent to sandy substrates. Burleigh-Kirra is influenced by the East Australian Current and prevailing southeast trade winds. Within this area there are: threatened species and undefined aggregations (Scalloped Hammerhead Sphyrna lewini).

Burleigh-Kirra

Burleigh-Kirra

DESCRIPTION OF HABITAT

Burleigh-Kirra is located in southeast Queensland, Australia. The area spans ~10 km of coastline from Burleigh Heads in the north to Kirra Reef in the south. The area is characterised by sandy substrates, with Kirra Reef itself comprised of scattered rocky reef outcrops adjacent to sandy substrates. (Lubitz et al. 2025). The reef itself is situated ~400 m offshore from the Kirra surf break.

The local oceanography of the area is highly dynamic given its proximity to the surf zone, making access to the area heavily dependent on weather and sea conditions. Burleigh-Kirra is influenced by the East Australian Current, the poleward flowing western boundary current of the South Pacific Gyre (Suthers et al. 2011). The East Australian Current flow is strongest in the austral summer, and the formation of eddies along this coastline also fluctuates seasonally (Ridgway & Hill 2009). The area is subject to semi-diurnal tidal cycles and southeast trade winds, with sea temperatures ranging between 21.7°C in winter to 27.2°C in summer (Sea Temperature 2025).

This Important Shark and Ray Area is benthic and pelagic and is delineated from inshore and surface waters (0 m) to 12 m based on the bathymetry of the area.

CRITERION A

VULNERABILITY

One Qualifying Species considered threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species regularly occurs in the area. This is the Critically Endangered Scalloped Hammerhead (Rigby et al. 2019).

CRITERION C

SUB-CRITERION C5 – UNDEFINED AGGREGATIONS

Burleigh-Kirra is an important area for undefined aggregations of one shark species.

Between 2022–2025, recreational snorkel trips were conducted from the shore multiple times per week at two main sites in the area: Burleigh Heads and Kirra Reef (Lubitz et al. 2025; S Houlihan, C Karger, J Kennedy pers. obs. 2025). Observations are anecdotal, with no formal records maintained from the area. Scalloped Hammerheads were observed on most trips (~90%) between January–July, with occasional aggregations seen outside this period. Scalloped Hammerhead aggregations were first observed at Burleigh Heads in April 2019 (C Karger pers. obs. 2025). Aggregation sizes at this site ranged between 4–30 individuals seen on a single 60-minute snorkel (C Karger pers. obs. 2025). At Kirra Reef, aggregations tended to be larger, with a range of 30–100+ Scalloped Hammerheads observed during a single 60-minute snorkel at the site, depending on weather conditions and visibility. Estimates from opportunistic drone surveys were up to 300 Scalloped Hammerheads in one aggregation at Kirra Reef (C Karger pers. obs. 2025).

Sizes of Scalloped Hammerheads in the area were visually estimated at ~50–120 cm total length (TL) (Lubitz et al. 2025; J Kennedy pers. obs. 2025) with the larger individuals observed in later years (e.g., up to 120 cm TL in 2024; S Houlihan & C Karger pers. obs. 2025). The known size-at-birth for this species is 31–57 cm TL (Ebert et al. 2021), suggesting that some of the individuals were neonates and young-of-the-year (YOY). However, since no formal records were maintained, it is difficult to quantify the percentages of these young age classes, and the size range suggests a mixed cohort of immature individuals.

Scalloped Hammerheads were also captured in the Queensland Shark Control Program (baited drumlines and shark nets) along the coastline in and adjacent to the area (Lubitz et al. 2025). Catch data from 2000–2024, revealed large females (>190 cm TL) were more common in October, November, and December, and a pregnant female with nine near-term pups (<50 cm TL) was captured in a shark net in waters adjacent to the area (off Coolangatta beach) in December 2020 (Lubitz et al. 2025). These findings add support to the observations of young age classes in this area in the first half of the year.

During snorkel trips, the sharks demonstrated searching behaviour across the sandy substrate, looking for and finding small rays and displayed hunting behaviour (though often unsuccessful; C Karger pers. obs. 2025). Direct feeding was observed on at least two occasions while snorkelling, with prey consisting of Common Stingaree Trygonoptera testacea (J Kennedy pers. obs. 2025) and Coral Sea Maskray Neotrygon trigonoides (C Karger pers. obs. 2025). Some of the observed rays in the area exhibit small wounds and bite marks, potentially resulting from Scalloped Hammerhead foraging activity.

Combined, these observations suggest this area may be important for both reproduction and feeding for Scalloped Hammerheads, however, more information is needed to understand the nature and function of these aggregations.

Burleigh-Kirra

SUBMIT A REQUEST

ISRA SPATIAL LAYER REQUEST

To make a request to download the ISRA Layer in either a GIS compatible Shapefile (.shp) or Google Earth compatible Keyhole Markup Language Zipped file (.kmz) please complete the following form. We will review your request and send the download details to you. We will endeavor to send you the requested files as soon as we can. However, please note that this is not an automated process, and before requests are responded to, they undergo internal review and authorization. As such, requests normally take 5–10 working days to process.

Should you have questions about the data or process, please do not hesitate to contact us.

    * indicates required

    Industry or sector (*)

    Under the terms and conditions of our User License Agreement , full and appropriate acknowledgement is required in any materials and publications derived from the data (and copies should be sent to the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group through the contact form). For any publications making substantial use of the data, the ISRA welcomes the opportunity for co-authorship, collaboration, and to comment prior to publication.


    Furthermore, we need to know whether you are a commercial or non-commercial user. Non-commercial includes scientific research, education or conservation. Commercial is defined as follows: any use by, on behalf of, or to inform or assist the activities of a commercial entity (that operates ‘for profit’) or use by a non-profit for the purposes of revenue generation

    Type of use(*):

    Please specify which layer (ex. all layers, layers within a specific Region, layers within a Jurisdiction or a single ISRA): Purpose (*):

    Please provide a description of how you intend to use the ISRA GIS Dataset. The more details you provide, the faster we can respond to your request. We may require further clarification prior to providing access. (min. 100 characters – max 1,000 characters)



    File format request (*)

    By providing your personal data, you consent to its processing as described below. The IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group will use the information you provide on this form to send the documents you requested. You can change your mind at any time by writing to the ISRA Data Coordinator www.sharkrayareas.org/contact. All personal details provided will be treated with respect. For any information you can visit our Privacy Policy.
    Please read the User License Agreement and ISRA Layer Metadata Description

    This form uses Google reCaptcha to reduce spam. Privacy - Terms