A shark fisherman who sounded the alarm a day before four attacks along the NSW coast has warned Australians could be unable to safely swim in the ocean within a decade.
Joel Nancarrow, the owner of Hunter Shark Jaw Restoration, urged swimmers to steer clear of river mouths and murky surf after heavy rainfall earlier this year.
‘We always give our honest opinion on these fish and this is not the week to be swimming anywhere near river mouths or dirty water in the surf,’ he wrote online on January 17.
The next day, 12-year-old Nico Antic was fatally attacked by a suspected bull shark near Shark Beach in Sydney‘s east – one of four attacks reported within 48 hours.
Mr Nancarrow now claims he is hauling in more sharks, and bigger ones, than a decade ago, prompting him to call for expanded commercial fishing to bring numbers under control.
‘It’s not just getting a little bit worse. It is getting a lot worse every single year,’ he said on the Deep Mission with Scott Thorrington podcast.
‘I fish beaches that have got shark nets on them and catch 300 kilo bull sharks on beaches that got shark nets on them.’
‘In 10 years time I guarantee you we’ll go, “They should have listened back then,” because now our kids and grandkids can’t swim.’
Shark fisherman Joel Nancarrow claims Australians could be unable to safely swim in the ocean within a decade as he calls for expanded commercial shark fishing
Nancarrow says he caught 34 sharks this year, compared with 14 last year, and claims the sharks he encounters are getting bigger
But Bond University shark expert Dr Daryl McPhee said there was no evidence to support that prediction.
‘Those sorts of statements are right up there with Nostradamus,’ he told the Daily Mail.
‘When we talk about shark populations, there isn’t one. There’s populations of various species of sharks. For the three species of shark that bite people, like bulls and whites, we don’t have a handle on the population trends.’
But Mr Nancarrow said his frequent fishing trips had convinced him the danger was growing.
‘I go out fishing five out of seven days a week and it’s getting a lot worse every single year,’ he said.
‘I caught 34 sharks by myself this year. Last year, we got 14.’
He claimed the average weight of sharks he encountered had almost doubled, from about 130kg a decade ago to about 250kg, and that he was catching large sharks further into winter.
‘It used to be Anzac Day when we stopped fishing. I got three of them in a day at the end of June this year… and one of them was an absolute monster, one of the most healthy ones I’ve ever seen in my life,’ he said.
Mr Nancarrow said expanded commercial fishing would reduce the number of juvenile sharks surviving to adulthood, claiming existing beach protection measures were failing to control numbers.
Bond University shark expert Dr Daryl McPhee says there is no evidence to support the prediction, dismissing it as ‘right up there with Nostradamus’.
NSW has 37 coastal shark listening stations that provide real-time alerts when tagged sharks are detected near popular swimming and surfing locations
Dr McPhee described NSW and Queensland as ‘world leading’ in shark bite mitigation, with drones among the measures used to help protect beachgoers
‘Culling is not going to work. Drum lines aren’t doing anything in terms of numbers. I fish beaches that have got shark nets on and then catch 300-kilo bull sharks on them.
‘In 15 years time, you’ll still have your bigger fish that they’re not going to put to market. But you’re not going to have these numbers… for example, out of 100,000 juveniles now, realistically, 80,000 of them will probably grow up to be big fish.
‘If you do commercial fishery, there might only be 30,000.’
He also advocated eating the catch, describing how he had recently prepared a large mako shark he caught.
‘I got it, brought it home, cleaned it all up, skinned it, cut it up into little chunks probably like lamb cutlet chunks… it’s awesome,’ he said.
Commercial shark fishing is already permitted in NSW, including for bull sharks. Eligible operators can take up to 2,000kg of whole sharks a week, or 1,200kg if any are processed, across the species covered by the scheme.
A combined annual commercial catch limit of 85.9 tonnes in processed weight also applies. Great white sharks are protected and cannot be commercially targeted.
Dr McPhee challenged the idea that a larger commercial market for big sharks would provide a solution.
‘There’s no significant market for it because they potentially pose a health risk in terms of mercury and heavy metal,’ he said.
‘So when people think they’re eating shark, they’re eating a small southern Australian species, the Gummy Shark, which is fantastic eating.
‘But this quality does not transfer to large white, tiger or bull sharks. Yes, a few can be sold, but it’s not going to make a significant difference – and some seafood wholesalers will not accept them because of the risk they pose.’
While Dr McPhee rejected Mr Nancarrow’s prediction about swimming becoming unsafe within a decade, he said there had been a long-term increase in shark attacks, particularly in NSW.
He said rainfall, warmer water and the availability of prey could all bring sharks into closer contact with swimmers and surfers.
‘There is no one reason why sharks bite people; when you get significant rainfall events during the summer months, it flushes the sharks and their prey towards the river mouths and beaches,’ he said.
‘So when you get those significant rains, it impacts the bull shark distribution and it increases the overlap potentially between people and bull sharks.’
He said bull sharks moved further south towards Greater Sydney as the water warmed, while white sharks followed their food sources.
Nico Antic, 12, died after a suspected bull shark attack near Shark Beach. The attack came a day after Nancarrow warned swimmers to avoid river mouths and murky surf
‘For white sharks, their prey, like humpback whales, seals, coastal fish like Australian salmon, have all increased in abundance. Sharks don’t just sit around where there’s no food – they’re always actively looking.’
The January spate of attacks also included Andre de Ruyter, 27, who was attacked at Manly, and an 11-year-old boy who escaped uninjured at Dee Why.
A 39-year-old surfer suffered minor cuts to his body and damage to his surfboard at Point Plomer.
Another devastating attack followed in June, when young mother Leah Stewart was attacked by a great white while swimming between the flags at Coogee Beach.
She spent two weeks in a coma and underwent multiple surgeries, including the amputation of one arm below the elbow.
Dr McPhee described the NSW and Queensland governments as ‘world leading’ in shark bite mitigation, using a combination of lethal and non-lethal methods, including drones.
NSW also has 37 shark listening stations along its coastline, providing real-time alerts when tagged sharks are detected near key swimming and surfing locations.
‘Australia has one of the best coastal safety systems in the world. Our surf lifesavers, lifeguards and emergency responders are highly trained and increasingly well equipped,’ he said.
‘The ocean will always carry risk. The goal is not to eliminate it, which is impossible, but to manage it intelligently.’
While nobody could predict precisely when or where the next attack would happen, Dr McPhee urged beachgoers to watch for marine activity that could indicate sharks were nearby.
‘Swim between the flags. Always keep a look out for marine activity, so if there’s bait fish, birds or dolphin, that’s a good sign to avoid the area because other species may be there,’ he said.
He also warned that the presence of dolphins offered no guarantee of safety.
‘We also need to break some myths that if you swim with dolphins, it’s safe – that’s not the case.’
