Fears as ‘critically endangered’ greynurse sharks being fed at North Haven breakwall near Port Macquarie

A “family of friendly sharks” is attracting crowds at a Mid-North Coast breakwall – but people have been warned off engaging with the “critically endangered” animals. Watch the video.

A “family of friendly sharks” at North Haven breakwall on the Mid-North Coast has been attracting crowds in growing numbers, but some are concerned it’s not going to end well.

In recent months, groups of up to 20 people have been gathering at the breakwall in the Camden Haven area south of Port Macquarie to watch greynurse sharks being fed by fishermen – and increasingly by onlookers.

Allissa Gillies has lived at nearby Lake Cathie since 2020.

While she described the large fish as a family of friendly sharks – they’ve even got names – she is concerned it’s only a matter of time until something goes horribly wrong.

“Some brazen teen trying to impress their friends might get too close – I can see it happening,” she said.

“As they keep drawing a larger crowd it’s only going to be a matter of time until we get some bad eggs in it.”

One of the “family of friendly sharks" locals come to watch at North Haven, near Port Macquarie. Picture: Erin Wise

Ms Gillies said anglers tell tales of people trying to get in the water to handfeed the sharks.

“They have the best stories. We have heard one story a few times that someone was hand feeding them and they got a hold of his finger and dragged him in,” she said.

Ms Gillies and her son are passionate and knowledgeable about the environment and the ocean in particular.

“My son has wanted to be a marine biologist since he was five,” she said.

People watching the sharks at North Haven.

There is a core group of four sharks fed mostly whiting and squid which are reported to gather at the breakwall about 3.30pm, particularly on Fridays and Saturdays.

Ms Gillies named the four Larry, Harry Garry and Carrie.

“It was just a joke but it stuck – Larry is the big one,” she said.

Allissa Gillies.

Ms Gillies is pretty sure Larry is the shark pictured in a photo Erin Wise captured recently, which is included in this story.

A NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) spokesperson confirmed the shark in the photo taken during a recent ‘feeding time’ at North Haven is a Greynurse.

The public has been warned not to interact with the sharks.

“They are critically endangered in NSW – people must not touch, feed or interfere with Greynurse Sharks as this can cause them to change their natural behaviours and make them more vulnerable to harm,” the spokesperson said.

Sharks at the breakwall at Forster. Picture: Sarah Broughton.

Some believe the number of sharks at the breakwall has grown and Ms Gillies said she noticed a shark with offspring (a pup) join the group.

“My brother used to fish around that area all the time and was quite fond of them, but never saw that many,” she said.

It is not possible to determine whether numbers are increasing because the sharks migrate along the Australian coast and spend varying time in offshore rocky reefs at numerous locations, the DPI spokesperson said.

“The Australian east coast population migrate between a number of key sites along the coast of NSW and southern Queensland, from Montague Island in the south to Fraser Island in the north,” they said.

On the spot fines of $500 apply for interfering with a threatened species, such as a Greynurse shark.

Maximum court-imposed penalties of $110,000 and/or two years imprisonment also apply.