Footage of a fisherman catching a shark and dragging it over rocks before dumping it back into the ocean has sparked outrage among Australians.
The fisherman hooked a Port Jackson shark and caught it at Maroubra Beach in Sydney’s eastern suburbs early on Tuesday.
But what he did next was what infuriated a passerby, who decided to film the incident.
The fisherman took a photograph of the shark resting on the rock platform, prolonging its time out of the water.
Seeing the animal struggling, the man shouted from the top of the rocks, telling the fisherman to throw the shark back into the water.
The passerby estimated that the shark had been out of the water for four to five minutes at that time.
The fisherman obeyed but dragged the shark by its tail causing its head to hit the rocks.
The shark was then thrown into the ocean, but into the hollow of a small rock.
The fisherman (pictured right) caught a Port Jackson shark and held it out of the water for a photo.
When a passerby saw that the shark had been out of the water for four to five minutes, he shouted to the fisherman to return it to the ocean, but the fisherman dragged the shark along the rocks before returning it to the water (pictured)
The bystander, who asked not to be named, said he started filming because he didn’t believe what he saw was right and didn’t think taking a “superficial photo to show friends” justified the animal’s suffering.
“I believe that every living being on this planet has the right to live,” he said.
‘I could see that this shark was dying and needed to be returned immediately to where it came from, so I had to intervene.
“I felt outraged.”
The man said the fisherman was not “disrespectful or aggressive” when he yelled at him.
“He returned the shark to the ocean at my request. I’m not sure he would have done that if I hadn’t intervened,” he said.
‘I called the fisherman and we exchanged comments but I didn’t go down to talk to him.
“I wish I could have done it so we could have a respectful conversation about why I think it was wrong and maybe educate them about how important sharks are to a delicately balanced underwater ecosystem.”
Sadly, this is not the first time a local has seen a Port Jackson shark being mistreated in the area.
“Twelve months ago I came across a decapitated Port Jackson shark on the rocks at the northern end of the beach,” he said.
“Seeing the possible culprits in action made me angry, which motivated me to scream out to prevent something so tragic from happening again.”
But the good Samaritan and animal lover is worried the shark may not have survived.
“In the video the shark appears limp and very close to death,” he said.
“I guess I’ll never know.”
The fisherman released his catch after dragging its head over the rocks (pictured)
Australians were quick to react to the passerby’s footage when he posted it on social media.
“This is appalling. We need to fix this broken world – there should be marine reserves along the entire coast,” wrote one.
“We know that fish feel pain and have very rich social and emotional lives,” one said.
Another added: “It’s so wild how he drags his head along the rocks.”
Australian Marine Conservation Society shark scientist Leonardo Guida said Yahoo Port Jackson sharks are “very resilient” and can survive out of water for several minutes, although it is still stressful for the animal.
“Whenever possible, people should release unwanted animals caught in fishing gear as safely and quickly as possible,” he said.