Fourth shark caught after horror attacks
A PHOTOGRAPH shows the moment a huge shark was pulled from the waters where a little girl and a woman were mauled in separate attacks last week. The worst thing - this is the fourth one they’ve caught.
QLD News
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A FOURTH shark has been caught in drumlines in the same area where a little girl and a woman were mauled in separate attacks last week.
All the sharks have been tiger sharks.
The tiger shark caught in Cid Harbour on Sunday was 3.7m long.
A Fisheries Queensland spokesman said the shark caught today would have posed a serious threat to people swimming in Cid Harbour.
“The shark has been humanely euthanised and will be taken further out to sea for disposal,” the spokesman said.
“The three drumlines deployed last week will remain in place over the coming days.
“The intention is to remove large dangerous sharks from the area and reduce the risk to people.
“Clearly there are a significant number of active sharks in local waters and people are urged not to swim.”
Fisheries staff on Saturday caught three other tiger sharks – one 3.3m, one 2.6m and the other over 2m – in the Cid Harbour area. They were all destroyed.
“While sharks of this size are potentially very dangerous to humans, it is unclear if they were responsible for injuries caused to two swimmers this week,” a Department of Agriculture and Fisheries spokesman said then.
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“Sharks are definitely active in the harbour and this reinforces the Minister’s message that people should not swim in the area.’’
A woman who lives on a boat in Cid Harbour said the first two sharks had been shot within minutes of each other.
“Five shots were used on second shark. Minutes after first shark,” she said.
“Sharks are everywhere. We always catch them.”
Three drumlines were deployed in Sawmill Bay on Friday. They will remain there for at least the next week.
The captures come as the first shark attack victim, Justine Barwick, is showing goods signs of recovery following an incredible 18-hour surgery to save her leg.
Her husband Craig said the surgery took longer than anticipated.
He said specialists had “repaired ligaments and other structures including nerve, skin and muscle grafting to reconstruct the injured limb”.
“It looks like they have done an amazing job, it looks like it has always been there,” Mr Barwick said.
He said that, after two to three weeks in recovery, his wife would be able to return to Tasmania for further rehabilitation.
Melbourne schoolgirl Hannah Papps, 12, remains in a critical but stable condition after being mauled by a shark in Cid Harbour, north of Hamilton Island, last week.
Fisheries Queensland advises swimmers to follow these guidelines:
■ Swim or surf only at patrolled beaches and between the flags
■ Obey lifesavers’ and lifeguards’ advice, and heed all sign and safety warnings
■ Leave the water immediately if a shark is sighted
■ Do not swim or surf after dusk, at night or before dawn when sharks are most active
■ Do not swim or surf in murky waters
■ Do not swim in or near mouths of estuaries, artificial canals and lakes
■ Never swim alone
■ Never swim when bleeding
■ Do not swim near schools of fish or where fish are being cleaned
■ Do not swim near or interfere with shark control equipment
■ Do not swim with animals.
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