A spearfishing diver in New South Wales, Australia who was found with the dead body of a protected grey nurse shark, claimed that he killed it in self-defence. The 30-year-old faces up to 2 years in jail.

The diver, who has yet to be named, claims that he was attacked by the shark while spearfishing. He had just speared a large squid and attached it to his belt when the shark showed an interest. "It was either the shark or me" he is quoted as saying in the NSW Daily Telegraph.

The man was arrested by a fisheries officer after being seen dragging the body of the speared shark out of the water. Clearly he had not been so terrified that he was unable to retrieve the body of the dead shark and tow it to shore.

Grey nurse shark populations are under considerable pressure and the species is protected in NSW waters. The diver's equipment was confiscated, and he was cautioned that he could face three separate charges: harming an threatened species, possessing a threatened species, and spearfishing without a licence. He faces up to two years in jail and a fine of 220,000 Australian dollars - £84,000 if convicted.

Grey nurse sharks, also known as sand tigers, are notoriously docile and are rarely involved in incidents with swimmers or divers. There are no recorded incidents of anybody ever being killed by a sand tiger shark.

The London Aquarium keeps a number of sand tiger sharks, and Divernet asked shark diver Fay Wimpenny for her opinion on the incident.
"The shark would have scented the speared squid. If the diver had abandoned his catch, the shark would have left him alone. Sand tigers are docile, but can be inquisitive and will investigate if they scent food."

Have divers in the shark tank at the London Aquarium ever experienced a problem with the sand tigers?
"We dive with a stick, and if the sharks come too close, a prod in the ribs deters them. They really aren't a threat - they are more afraid of us than we are of them," she explained.

Statistics from the International Shark Attack File show that attacks on divers are extremely rare, and that most incidents involve spearfishing divers - usually carrying a fresh catch.


More links of interest
London Aquarium website
International Shark Attack File
Shark diving in Australia
Divers win sanctuary for grey nurse shark

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