Fisheries to take no action over shark landing
No further action will be taken against Albany fisherman Brendan Hilder after Department of Fisheries investigated the circumstances surrounding his remarkable catch of a 4m tiger shark last week.
Mr Hilder attracted worldwide attention when he hauled in a 4m tiger shark on a hand reel at Shelley Beach in a two-hour ordeal on Monday.
Videos and photos captured by friends and onlookers went viral online in less than 12 hours.
Click here to see the original story which went viral.
The “mad keen” fisherman secured the catch on a 200-pound hand line before releasing the shark.
Fisheries compliance manager south Richard Petty said after enquiries into media reports and interviewing Mr Hilder, officers decided no further action would be taken.
“The decision was made on the ground that during an interview and upon review of video it has been found that the fisher was not apparently aware that he had caught a tiger shark,” Mr Petty said.
“It was only when he pulled it in to shallow waters he became aware at which point he called for a knife to cut if free.”
Mr Petty said the situation is a reminder that rules on the catch of common whaler shark species including tiger sharks, with an interdorsal fin length greater than 700mm, do exist in the West Coast and South Coast bioregions.
According to Fisheries any proven illegal fishing for protected sharks could vary from an infringement fine of $200, through to a prosecution with a potential court fine of up to $5000 plus a mandatory penalty, by weight or number, related to the fish involved.
