Seeking to make the most of a clear day in December, two companions ventured off the northern coast of Queensland in a Tinnie for a fish.
While they remain inactive more than 10 kilometers from the magnetic island near Townsville, a large shark swam to their boat.
On board, the mechanic Andre Stagnitta decided to launch a drone to have a better overview.
The perfect scene revealed more than a dozen sharks turned their boat, explaining why the fisherman often lost so many fish.
“With the clear conditions and very clean water that arrives, we were able to set up the drone and have a little better look around the boat,” said Stagnitta.
“”By going through the laptop that it would have been, I think, 16 (Sharks). There were shadows and everything that happened on the images was crazy.“”
Andre Stagnitta says that seeing the boat surrounded by sharks is a little annoying. (Supplied: Andre Stagnitta))
Although the inhabitants of northern Queensland expect to see many predators Apex at sea, Mr. Stagnitta said that the scene had left him a little shocked.
“It just emphasizes being safe in the boat-having all the equipment and checking it before going out,” he said.
“It's quite trying for the nerves.
“”If you slow down the video when standing next to the boat, you can see how large they are.“”
Dr. Nicolas Lubitz says that there are more than 100 species of sharks off the coast of Townsville. (ABC News: Freya Jetson))
The marine biologist at James Cook University, Nicolas Lubitz, said that there was evidence suggesting that the sound of a boat engine could attract sharks.
“They know the sound of an engine, they know the sound of the fishing rods, they know very well,” said Dr. Lubitz.
“If your engine is forward, you have fewer sharks than when it is in neutral.
“Sharks can actually distinguish the sound between a neutral engine and an engine that goes from the front.
“If you hit neutral, it usually means that you have a fish.”
Lose fish
Shane Fraser, who was on board with Mr. Stagnitta, said the number of sharks removing fish was a big problem.
“We had already lost a few fish,” said Mr. Fraser.
“All of a sudden, we lost another mackerel because of a bronze bar of two and a half.”
Shane Fraser and Andre Stagnitto say they are eager to hit the water again despite the sharks. (ABC North Qld: Cameron Simmons))
Bronze whalers are currently not a threatened species and are listed as the least worrying in Australia by the International Union for Nature Conservation (IUCN).
“Overly, out of the nine or 10 fish that you could connect, you will only reach some of them in the boat. The rest is taken by sharks,” said Fraser.
“We go to the additional effort to manage personalized tackle equipment just to avoid breaks and bites and things like that Sharks.
“This is a problem that increases slowly in the past two years.”
Mr. Fraser said that although it was common to lose fish, population control should be taken into account for certain species while the number continued to grow.
“We did not end up landing a single fish,”
He said.
Population difficult to measure
Dr. Lubitz said that it was difficult to determine the number of sharks in waters off Townsville.
“I would not go so far as to say that their populations are out of control,” he said.
“Their number has definitively increased in the last 10 to 15 years, probably due to the improvement of management. It also depends on the species you are talking about.
“Species like rivers and hammers are probably not doing so well.”
He said scientists could only follow the trends in the population rather than determining a more accurate number.
“Around the magnetic island and Townsville, there are probably 100 to 120 different species, and they all have different population parameters,” he said.
A shark was involuntarily captured during the video but was released unscathed.
