Rescue workers have saved a critically endangered grey nurse shark that became entangled in a fishing line off the Queensland coast. The female shark was spotted by local dive operator Manta Lodge and Scuba Centre at Flat Rock, a popular diving site near North Stradbroke Island.
Sea World and Queensland Marine Parks dispatched a rescue team after the sighting last week. Sea World Foundation Senior Aquarist Clint Karger said bad weather initially delayed the operation, but the team eventually located the shark at a spot called Shark Alley on Friday afternoon.
Specialised dive and veterinary teams used a hoop and noose to lasso the shark and bring it to the surface. Karger described finding a “very serious stainless steel hook” lodged under the shark’s jaw. The hook was removed, and the shark was fitted with an acoustic tracker before being released.
Sea World Foundation Senior Aquarist Siobhan Houlihan said this was the second grey nurse shark rescue this month and urged the community to fish more responsibly. “Many of the injuries we are called to assist with are related to fishing apparatus entanglements,” she said.
Grey nurse sharks, also known as sand tiger sharks, are relatively placid and slow-moving, with no confirmed human fatalities. They can grow up to 3 metres and weigh 159 kilograms. The Queensland Government estimates the population at no more than 2000 individuals, with a breeding population of about 400 sharks.
