Great whites wash up near scene of fatal attack

Tuesday, 28 December 2021

Josh Lonergan managed to video a great white shark as it leapt from the water in the Bay of Plenty (video first published in May, 2021).

Three sharks - two great whites and a baby hammerhead - have been found dead on Bowentown Beach.

The Ministry for Primary Industries says one of the sharks was found in a legally set net.

One of the sharks is said to have been more than two metres long.

Great white sharks have been in the spotlight recently following reports of increased sightings of the marine creature.

This great white was also caught in a set net, this time off the Taranaki coast. Department of Conservation biodiversity ranger Callum Lilley is pictured at its dissection in February.

* The Detail: Concern grows as more great white sharks sighted in Aotearoa

* Watch: Great white shark circles fishing boat off Bay of Plenty coast for a 'good 20 minutes'

The Detail: Beaches, especially on the Coromandel have seen an increase in sightings of great white sharks, but an expert says the public needs more information.

Recent focus on increased great white sightings from fishermen and boaties in Bowentown and the January death of Hamilton woman Kaelah Marlow at Waihī Beach has highlighted the situation in the Western Bay of Plenty.

In a press release from the DOC this month, marine biologist Melissa Kellett said increased sightings are not isolated to the Bowentown area.

She said at least six great whites have been identified in the region.

“The size estimates of these sharks have been between 1.5m-3.5m in length indicating they are primarily juveniles and sub-adults,” she said.

Juveniles and sub-adults primarily feed on fish but at the upper end of that scale, their diet is beginning to change to include mammals, according to Tairua-based shark expert Riley Elliot. This potentially makes them more dangerous to humans.

Earlier in the month, Riley said he’d identified up to 15 different sharks since tracking the situation for the past two years – with fears the Western Bay could be facing a “Jaws-like” scenario.

Meanwhile, a local fisherman suggested to SunLive he has seen great whites on a daily basis at Bowentown harbour whilst a sighting at Kauri Point, documented by Gold FM, detailed a five-metre-long white pointer.

DOC advises that sightings of great whites should be reported to DOC via the sharks mailbox .

“If it is close to swimmers and other water users warn them first and then alert lifeguards if it is a patrolled beach,” DOC marine expert Clinton Duffy said.

He also stressed that attacks from sharks are extremely rare and most sharks in New Zealand waters pose no threat to humans.

However, to avoid interaction, people should avoid swimming in channels in harbours and estuaries near river mouths and anywhere there is a potential food source for large sharks.

Clinton Duffy said if you spot a great white exit the water quickly and calmly and report the sighting.

“Sharks are predatory animals but do not normally perceive humans as prey and most encounters with white sharks do not result in the shark biting the human,” he said.

“If you are visiting the ocean you need to be a little bit vigilant and aware of what’s happening around you and swim where there are surf lifesaving patrols, and don’t swim or dive alone.'

He said it is now recognised that New Zealand has a “shared population” of great whites with eastern Australia with work ongoing to develop an updated population count.

Anyone accidentally catching a great white must release it as soon as possible and report the incident to DOC.

It is not illegal to accidentally catch a great white but it is illegal to cause further harm to it, and not to report it.

- SunLive