Footage of fisherman dragging native shark across rocks prompts surprise reaction

Critics said the angler's behaviour was 'appalling' — while others argued they thought he'd done nothing wrong. What do you think?

Joe Attanasio
·Senior Reporter
Updated ·4-min read
A fisherman is seen in two split images dragging the Port Jackson shark along the rocks at Maroubra Beach in Sydney.
A fisherman has riled up wildlife enthusiasts over what they said was questionable behaviour while handling a Port Jackson shark in Sydney. Source: Instagram/Carvedbanks

The way a fisherman handled a freshly-caught Port Jackson shark has divided Aussies, with critics branding the angler's apparent behaviour "appalling" — while others argued they thought he'd done nothing wrong.

Footage emerged this week of the man fishing at Maroubra Beach, in Sydney's south. In the video, that was clipped together in parts and posted online, the man can be seen reeling in the shark and placing it on the rocks, while another man fishes beside him.

He then keeps the animal, which appears to still be alive, out of the water for an unknown amount of time. After photographing his catch, someone yells out for him to put it back in the ocean. He drags it along the rocks by the tail, scraping its head in the process, before seemingly returning it back to the water between a crevice in the rocks.

Port Jackson sharks are neither a protected species nor illegal to fish in NSW, but some responding to the footage claimed the man was unnecessarily cruel towards it, paying little regard to its welfare while it was kept from the ocean.

Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Leonardo Guida, shark scientist at the Australian Marine Conservation Society, implored fishers to act responsibly with their catches.

"Whenever possible, people should release unwanted animals caught in fishing gear as safely and as soon as possible," he told Yahoo News. "The fisher in the video appears to have done the right thing and returned the Port Jackson safely, although it's impossible to tell how long it had been since he landed it, as the video has been edited."

Fortunately, Guida added, Port Jacksons are "very hardy" species and can handle air exposure for several minutes, however this "still stresses out the animal, even at a physiological level".

"Fishing is a responsibility not a right, and all fishers should do their utmost to safely handle and release unwanted catch, inflicting as little stress to the animal as possible," Guida said.

A group of Port Jackson sharks are seen swimming at Jervis Bay, NSW.
Port Jacksons are found all over Australian waters, from Queensland's south down to Tasmania and even along the central coast of Western Australia. Source: Getty

A spokesperson for the NSW Department of Primary Industries echoed Guida's sentiment.

"The NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) actively promotes responsible fishing practices at all times — including treating all fish ethically and with respect," they told Yahoo News Australia.

"The Department provides detailed information on best practice catch and release techniques as well as content on respecting your catch — which applies to targeted fish species as well as those considered as unwanted by-catch."

Online, people debated whether "more education" was needed within the fishing community "about these sentient creatures" that are "deserving of respect and reverence".

"This is appalling. We need to fix this broken world — there should be marine reserves up and down the coast," one woman said.

"We know that fish feel pain and have rich social and emotional lives," another person said. "So much science is out there now. Current fishing practices are not in line with this knowledge."

"So wild how he just drags its head across the rocks," somebody else wrote.

It is true that fish feel physical pain as well as and emotional stress. Recent research has found fish even have their own version of empathy, enabled by one of the same chemical pathways thought to drive human social behaviour.

Despite the surprisingly strong reaction by some on social media, others pointed out what they argued was a common hypocrisy among those "offended" by the video. "All the people getting sad by this, but go and eat their farmed salmon and caged eggs and beef, that gets shipped to Indonesia, where the cattle suffer the worst kind of traumas on the journey to make it back to your plate — so embarrassing," they said.

Yahoo News Australia has sought comment the NSW Department of Primary Industries and the Australian Fisheries Management Authority with regard to the footage.

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