Sharks are smarter and more complex than we think and have an impressive awareness of their surroundings, experts say.

More than 250 of the country's leading shark and fish biology experts have gathered for a four-day conference in Hobart, hosted by the Australian Society for Fish Biology and Oceania Chondrichthyan Society.

University of Western Australia researcher Kara Yopak presented her research into the use of brain anatomy to understand cognitive ability in sharks.

Dr Yopak said it was a common misconception that "sharks are these small-brained pre-programmed eating machines".

"They are actually relatively large-brained species and they are capable of such an incredible range of complex behaviours," she said.

Part of her research involved comparing the brains of sharks to mammals, including humans.

"There is a number of similarities that I would say have originated at least as early as sharks and then have been carried through vertebrate evolution to our own brains," she said.

Dr Yopak said the brains of sharks varied across different species, casting doubt over the effectiveness of one-size-fits-all shark deterrents.

"When we are investigating repellents we probably need to take a species-specific approach," she said.

"The likelihood we are going to find one deterrent to rule them all is not very realistic.

"Simply because these animals are living in different habitats, they are specialising in different senses and they are eating different things."

Sharks know their neighbourhood

Australian Institute of Marine Science senior research scientist Michelle Heupel said sharks reacted to changes in their habitat, proving they had a level of intellectual capacity.

"Sharks tend to know where they are," Dr Heupel said.

"We have had data where we have tracked sharks in a certain area, we've had a disturbance come through like a cyclone or a tropical storm, [and] all of the animals we were tracking will leave the area.

"And then after the system moves on they all come back."

Dr Heupel said this behaviour was even identified in newborn sharks.

"What that means is that they know where they live, they know how to get out of the way of something potentially dangerous and they know how to get back," she said.

"It is pretty impressive what they can do. They are very tuned to their environment.

"They respond to very subtle changes in their environment and they will direct their movement based on when things change in their habitat which says that they have at least some level of intellectual capacity."

The conference will finish on Wednesday.