Footage of a fisherman catching a shark, dragging it over rocks and then throwing it back into the ocean has sparked outrage among Australians.
The fisherman hooked a shark from Port Jackson and reeled it in at Maroubra Beach, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, early on Tuesday morning.
But what he did next angered a bystander, who decided to film the incident.
The fisherman took a photo of the shark while it was resting on the rock platform, keeping it out of the water longer.
When the man saw the animal struggling, he shouted from the rocks at the fisherman to throw the shark back into the water.
The bystander estimated that the shark had been out of the water for four to five minutes at that point.
The fisherman obeyed, but pulled the shark along by its tail, causing its head to hit the rocks.
The shark was then dumped into the ocean, but between a small opening in the rock.
The fisherman (right in the photo) caught a Port Jackson shark and held it out of the water to take a photo
When a bystander saw the shark was out of the water for four to five minutes, they yelled at the fisherman to throw it back into the ocean. But the fisherman dragged the shark along the rocks before throwing it back into the water (photo)
The bystander, who wished to remain anonymous, said he started filming because he felt what he was seeing was not right and that taking a “superficial photo to show friends” did not justify causing the animal any suffering.
“I believe that every living being on this planet has the right to live,” he said.
‘I saw that the shark was dying and that it had to be put back where it came from immediately, so I had to intervene.
“I was furious.”
The man said the fisherman was not being “disrespectful or aggressive” when he yelled at him.
“He released the shark back into the ocean at my request. I’m not convinced he would have done that if I hadn’t intervened,” he said.
‘I called the fisherman and we said something about him, but I didn’t go down to talk to him.
“I wish I had done that so we could have a respectful conversation about why I think it was wrong and maybe explain to them how important sharks are to a carefully balanced underwater ecosystem.”
Sadly, this isn’t the first time locals have seen a Port Jackson shark being mistreated.
“Twelve months ago I came across a decapitated Port Jackson shark on the rocks at the north end of the beach,” he said.
‘When I saw potential perpetrators in action, I got angry. That was the reason for me to shout: that something so tragic would never happen again.’
But the Good Samaritan and animal lover fears the shark did not survive.
“The shark looks limp and almost dead in the video,” he said.
“I guess I’ll never know.”
The fisherman released his catch after dragging the head over the rocks (photo)
Australians were quick to react to the footage posted by a bystander when he posted it on social media.
“This is horrible. We need to fix this broken world — there should be marine reserves all along the coast,” one person wrote.
“We know that fish feel pain and have rich social and emotional lives,” one of them said.
Another added: ‘So wild how he drags his head across the rocks’.
Australian Marine Conservation Society shark scientist Leonardo Guida said Yeah Port Jackson sharks are ‘very strong’ and can survive for several minutes out of the water, but it is still stressful for the animal.
“People should release unwanted animals caught in fishing gear as safely and as quickly as possible,” he said.