A coastal community is in uproar after footage emerged of a man allegedly catching and killing a protected and endangered gray nurse shark.
The video was taken along the rocky coastline of Terrigal Haven, on the New South Wales central coast, and recently circulated among shocked locals.
It showed the unnamed man standing in just his shorts as he held the creature by the tail before celebrating the capture.
The species is considered “critically endangered” by the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and was caught in one of the few places where it feeds and breeds.
They are famous for their placid nature and, with fewer than 3,000 left along the country’s east coast, they have a “very low potential for population recovery.”
A local community was left furious after a man was caught on camera allegedly capturing and killing a critically endangered gray nurse shark (pictured).
Witnesses said they saw the shark, which was almost the same size as the man, being dragged over rocks with lethal force.
The images were shared among members of a local swimming club who gathered at the location where the shark was supposedly captured.
One member, Katie, described the video as “pretty gruesome” and claimed the man “knew what he was doing.”
“From the video, the guy clearly knows what he caught,” he said. yahoo.
“And from the sound of what he says and what he does, I had no intention of putting him back in the water.”
The location is well known to locals as a gathering place for the species, called an aggregation area, but is not officially recognized as such by the NSWDPI.
Another local, Nada, said the incident could “bring the area closer to being protected” and reported the incident to the department.
The video was taken at Terrigal Haven, a rocky coastline along the central coast of New South Wales (pictured)
Other gray nurse shark aggregation sites recognized by the NSWDPI restrict fishing types, such as line or spear, or prohibit the activity outright.
A NSWDPI spokesperson confirmed they received a report on Thursday but are still investigating the incident.
Interfering with a protected species, including gray nurse sharks, can result in a $500 on-the-spot fine or a maximum penalty of $110,000 and/or two years in prison.
The department considered “interfering” to include “harassing, chasing, tagging, marking, or engaging in any activity for the purpose of attracting or repelling.”
Several species have been killed accidentally by fishermen or in shark nets, or intentionally by those in the illegal shark fin market.