Decapitated shark found at popular jetty
Calls to expand a shark fishing ban have been renewed after a diver discovered a beheaded 1.8m tiger shark at a popular West Australian jetty.
Local diver Aaron Goodhew told the ABC that he spotted the carcass just 8m from the Busselton Jetty’s ladder entrance into the water.
This comes after a state government ban on wire trace shark fishing came into force earlier this month.
There have been calls to expand the area covered by the ban, which stretches across Perth from South Mandurah to Two Rocks.
Mr Goodhew told the ABC that he previously found a shark carcass at the same jetty last year.
“I removed it from the water and I took it back to the beach away from where all the kids were,” he said.
“Then I just basically wrapped it up in an old curtain and just got it off the beach and took it away.”
The diver said he was concerned over the increased likelihood of sharks in the area when animal parts were being thrown into the water, particularly with the increased presence of children in summer.
“I’m not against fishing. I go catch crays. I’ve got mates who fish,” he said.
“To (cut up sharks) in swimming areas, where literally hours later there are young kids swimming, is just reckless in my opinion.”
A Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) spokesperson told NCA NewsWire that while releasing sharks with their heads removed was not illegal, it was “not responsible fishing behaviour”.
“DPIRD encourages fishers to carefully release all unwanted fish immediately to the water unharmed and all retained fish should be dispatched humanely and kept fresh to maximise eating quality,” they said.
“Targeting sharks from the shore is undertaken by a relatively small number of individual fishers and DPIRD has not observed any offences under the new gear restriction rules since they were introduced at the start of the month.”
Current gear restrictions prohibit shark fishing in all metropolitan nearshore waters from Tim’s Thicket Beach south of Mandurah to 5km north of Two Rocks Marina.
This includes all waters off the Swan-Canning Estuary and was implemented following ongoing concerns from the community and local councils.
Bans across regional locations will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
