Incredible video shows fisherman performing C-section on dead shark to save babies
A fisherman who hooked a dead shark performed an impromptu caesarean section on the predator once realising it was pregnant.
Mathew Orlov, 46, knew something was wrong when he reeled in the 2.7 metre sevengill shark in waters off the coast of Barwon Heads, Victoria, Australia, on Monday.
The experienced angler claims the shark was fatally attacked by another predator after he hooked it and it was already dead by the time he reeled it in.
Mr Orlov, from Geelong, said he saw the shark’s stomach was moving once he pulled it onto the boat so he cut it open in a desperate bid to save the babies.
Confronting footage shows the 46-year-old spending nine minutes releasing the 98 shark pups back into the wild – but experts have now said the babies sadly may not have survived.
The 46-year-old, who later cooked the dead shark to feed his family, said he noticed seven bite marks from another shark after reeling it in. He then noticed the shark was pregnant.
“When I saw the belly moving, instinct kicked in," he said.
"I’ve never done anything like this before, but I’ve been fishing long enough to know we needed to get the pups out as quickly as possible.
“It was a very overwhelming feeling when they started popping out, I got this adrenaline rush. I was just dumbfounded there was so many. We counted 98.”
Mr Orlov said he knew what do do after hearing stories from fellow fishermen.
He has since eaten the shark and did not feel any conflicting emotions as the animal's body did not go to waste.
“As a fisherman, I catch fish to eat," he said.
"The meat from this shark fed lots of my family members.
“I love the ocean and respect they’re an important part of the ecosystem."
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The 46-year-old thinks the babies' chances of "survival are high" as "they swam off quite healthily".
Sevengill sharks generally give birth to 70 to 90 live pups after a pregnancy lasting approximately 12 months.
The babies’s chances of survival rests largely on how close their mother was to full term.
Shark expert Jane Williamson, associate professor at Macquarie University in Sydney, cast doubt over whether the premature pups would have survived on their own.
“It is difficult to see what developmental stage the pups are at – I can’t tell if they are developed enough to cope alone," Ms Williamson said.
“But I can see the pups don’t have a yolk sac, which is a good sign and indicates that they have a chance of survival.”
Barbara Wueringer, director at Sharks And Rays Australia, added sharks are rays are known to abort their offspring on capture due to stress.
"So it is likely that this shark, if she had not been bitten by other sharks while hooked, might have aborted her embryos anyway," she said.
