A dead tiger shark found with suspicious injuries near a marina in a rural town has sparked warnings about illegal fishing of the animals.
The shark was found on Saturday morning in the water near the Princess Royal Sailing Club marina in Albany, on the southern tip of Western Australia.
Locals were able to bring the 8-foot shark to shore, where it was left for hours before being taken away by the City of Albany.
Fisheries advisors were immediately on hand when the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) was first notified of the dead tiger shark at 12.30pm last Saturday, several hours after the shark was recovered from the water.
Although the department determined that the shark showed no signs of having died after being illegally captured, it still warned fishermen against killing sharks.
A 2.5 meter tiger shark has been found dead with a broken jaw (pictured) in the waters near a coastal town’s marina, prompting authorities to warn fishermen about illegal fishing practices
A DPIRD spokesperson said the shark had already been on the coast for several hours when they were able to investigate around 12.30 pm on Saturday.
“Our investigation revealed no obvious signs of a fishing line and hook or an apparent cause of death,” the spokesperson said.
‘While there is no evidence of a fishing violation, this is not responsible fishing behavior.
‘DPIRD encourages anglers to carefully and unharmedly release all unwanted fish immediately into the water and all retained fish should be dispatched in a considerate manner.’
An image of the shark appears to show marks on its tail fin and a broken jaw.
Former Albany resident and marine biodiversity and conservation expert Erika Delemarre said the injuries were consistent with the shark having been fished.
“His jaw is clearly broken and there are traces of rope on his tail, perhaps from where he was tied to perhaps take photographs,” Ms Delemarre told police. Albany Advertiser.
“Obviously someone fished it out and dumped it back in the water, but the shark was dead when they pulled it out of the water.”
The shark was found floating in the water near Albany, WA (pictured), indicating it was ‘recent prey’ dumped by a fisherman
Ms Delemarre said the shark being found floating in the water means it is most likely a “recent killing”.
A tiger shark about the same size as the one found in Albany was spotted last Tuesday off the coast of Cozy Corner Beach, about 22 miles west.
Several other shark sightings, including a Great White, have been reported to SharkWatch in the weeks after a whale carcass was spotted near False Island.
A tiger shark is believed to have attacked a woman in her 40s as she swam with sea lions at Jurien Bay Beach, north of Perth.