Images of what appears to be a gigantic Tiger shark have surfaced, with NSW north coast locals claiming it was caught by a commercial fisherman off Nine Mile Beach on the Tweed Coast.
Pictures, posted to Facebook, appear to show the 4-5m long shark taking up the entirety of a fishing boat’s deck and still covered in fishing lines.
Byron Bay-based Positive Change for Marine Life has claimed the photos were snapped after the shark was caught by a drum line off the Tweed Coast, but the timing of the catch is still unknown.
“It looks to be a licensed commercial shark fishing boat from the ID of the boat,” the group’s CEO, Karl Goodsell said.
Mr Goodsell said the commercial fisherman who caught the Tiger shark would have been operating under Ocean Trap and Line Fishery regulations.
A Byron Bay resident posted the photos to his Facebook page with the tag “Yes – it’s real”. He said he believed the Tiger shark was caught “three or four days” ago.
Tiger sharks can reach up to seven metres in length and are easily identifiably by their asymmetrical, cocks-comb teeth.
The catch comes as locals called for a controlled shark cull, because of the unprecedented increase of shark sightings along the coastline.
One source spoken to by ninemsn said she knew of fisherman in Evans Head, NSW who had caught and killed two large sharks in the last few days.
The concerns have risen after one surfer was fatally mauled near Ballina in February, while 11 other board riders have been attacked recently.
Le-Ba Boardriders Club president Don Munro organised a meeting last night for surfers from the Byron, Ballina and Evans Head areas to discuss culling of shark numbers.
Around 95 percent of the 200 people present voted in support of “controlled management,” said Mr Munro.
