The Dorsal Fin

Australia’s Ten News is reporting that a “shark warning” has been issued as a result of heavy rains in Queensland, which are washing bait fish down toward river mouths and attracting bull sharks to these areas, according to Trevor Long of Sea World.

Long advises swimmers to avoid canals and river mouths, especially where there is low visibility in the water. Instead, he encourages people stick to protected beaches and netted areas in the broadwater.

Ten News recently ran a feature about a shark tagging program aimed at increasing safety at Australia’s beaches. The program involves catching, tagging, and releasing sharks in order to track the movement of the sharks to better understand shark behavior. Bull sharks, tiger sharks, and great white sharks are mentioned in the report as targeted species of the study. The report also makes a couple of “monster” shark references for good measure.

According The Northern Star, Sarah Moerman, an Iluka woman, discovered a bull shark in the Clarence River that had been finned and left to die. Authorities suggested that the woman put the shark out of its misery by dropping a large rock on the shark’s head. Moerman commented on the indifference to the shark’s plight stating, “that would never happen if it was a dolphin.”

After calling the coastguard, a ranger, the Clarence Valley Council, and the police, Moerman said her husband eventually killed the dying shark with a sledgehammer, after an hour had passed with no action on the part of the authorities.

The Northern Star interviewed a professional fisherman about the incident who stated that he did not condone the act and believed the finning was likely the handiwork of an amateur. Cutting the fins off of a live shark is illegal in Australian waters. Penalties for doing so can include automatic loss of a professional license, which the fisherman said was worth a “six-figure sum.” He went on to say that no professional fisherman would risk such a loss for “$70 worth of fins.”

File this one under “that just seems like common sense.” According to Australia’s ABC News, swimmers and surfers are being warned to keep a safe distance from a juvenile beached humpback whale that washed up at Sandon Point, New South Wales.

Wendy McFarlane of Organisation Cetacea (ORCA) said that it is likely that scavenging sharks (she mentions tiger sharks, in particular) will be attracted to the carcass and the general surrounding area. She warned swimmers and surfers to keep a safe distance after there were reports of surfers swimming “quite near” the whale carcass.

Australian teen surfer Jake Davies was bitten on the foot by a bull shark according to Ten News. After the shark initially bit his foot, it “attempted two more attacks” according to a news.com.au report. Despite the news.com.au story claiming that Davies “almost had his leg bitten off,” the teen did not suffer any life-threatening injuries. Davies did suffer puncture wounds requiring stitches which he hopes to have removed on Monday. After the stitches are removed, Davies said he’ll likely be “straight back out there in the water.” Kudos to Davies for the positive attitude.