The Dorsal Fin

Australia’s The Telegraph is reporting that onlookers claim a juvenile great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) was “bludgeoned to death in front of crying children.” The incident reportedly took place at Sussex Inlet in New South Wales. The 2m shark had been hooked by a fisherman and then landed on the boat dock where eyewitnesses claim the shark was beaten to death with a metal pole.

The killing of a white shark in Australia is punishable by a fine of up to $11,000 and a two-year jail sentence, according to The Telegraph.

It was reported that some of the people on the scene claimed that the shark (seen in this photo) was a mako (Isurus oxyrinchus), which is not protected in Australia. A spokesperson for the Department of Primary Industries, who are investigating the incident, said that thinking the shark was a mako was “not an excuse.”

To read the full article head over The Telegraph.

The following report and accompanying photos were provided by Cassie Heil of Oceans Research. The report involves a fisherman catching a protected great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) at Beacon Point in South Africa’s Mossel Bay. The shark was eventually returned to the water by Ryan Johnson, an Oceans Research scientist. Thanks to Ms. Heil and Oceans Research for sharing this story, and kudos to Johnson for his efforts to return the protected shark back into the water.

A fisherman poses with a legally protected great white shark at South Africa's Mossel Bay.
(photo courtesy of Oceans Research)

Man Illegally Catches a great white shark in Mossel Bay
Press release – 16th October, 2011: Mossel Bay

On Friday 14th October 2011, Oceans Research received a phone call from local members of the community regarding an incident that was taking place at Beacon Point in Mossel Bay. A fisherman was in the process of catching a great white shark and was hauling it onto the rocks. In South Africa, the white shark is a protected species, and if one is inadvertently hooked then it must be immediately released.

Ryan Johnson, a scientist from Oceans Research rushed down to the location to discover the fisherman still had the shark out of the water; was making no effort to return it to the water and was instead posing for photographs being taken by his two companions. Simultaneously, Oceans Research scientist, Enrico Gennari, telephoned the local fisheries inspector from the Department of Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF), who assured Gennari that he was going to make his way to the location to investigate (the DAFF offices are situated less than 1 kilometer from the fishing location).
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YouTube user ELVIAVANES uploaded the video above today, which is described as a great white shark being rescued at California’s Venice Beach. The video description says that the juvenile shark was hooked on a rod and reel by locals. The description goes on to say that the hook was removed. Four men, including two surfers, can be seen assisting the shark back into the water at the video’s end.

The great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) is a protected species in California waters.

WARNING: Video features offensive language and graphic content

YouTube user ograza13 recently uploaded the video above which shows a young great white shark being caught, according to the video description, from Huntington Beach Pier.

It should be noted that fishermen involved apparently thought it was a mako, as you can hear one of them say “c’mon mako!” Based on the title of the video, it can be assumed that YouTube user ograza13 still wasn’t sure of the species, when the video was posted. However, it’s quite clear from the video that this is a white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), which is a protected species in California waters.

According to Alabama’s Press-Register three out of the seven sharks that were brought into the scales at the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo were disqualified, because they were a federally protected species. The three disqualified shark were sandbar sharks (Carcharhinus plumbeus), which are federally protected due to having been over-fished, according to University of South Alabama fisheries scientist Dr. Marcus Dryman.

Sandbar sharks are known for their relatively tall dorsal fins. Dryman also noted that the species is easily distinguished by a distinct dorsal ridge that runs between the first and second dorsal fins.