AfricanDiver.com

George - Photographs of a huge Great White Shark being dissected at the Point in Mossel Bay caused a stir around the country this week, with people sending the pictures around by e-mail.

“The shark of about 4.3m, which was dissected on Friday in Mossel Bay, landed in nets of the Natal Sharks Board at the Zinkwasi beach in KwaZulu-Natal,” said Dawie Zwiegelaar of the National Sea Rescue Institute’s Mossel Bay office on Wednesday.

According to Geremy Cliff, head of the Natal Sharks Board, the female shark was weak but alive, when it was found. It was also marked.

“Staff from the Sharks Board tried in vain to free her, but she was clearly confused and was found dead in the nets early the next morning.”

Cliff said the shark was dragged to the beach and taken to their head office in Umhlanga to be cut open as part of their research into feeding and reproduction.

Filmed

At the request of British documentary film production company Windfall Films, it was decided to keep the shark until the film crew could film the dissection in Mossel Bay.

According to Dr Ryan Johnson, head of Ocean Research in Mossel Bay, Windfall Films wanted to film in the area due to the natural beauty. Windfall Films was busy with the second series in their popular programme Inside Nature’s Giants.

The shark was dissected on Friday at the Point by staff from the Sharks Board.

The photographs that created such a buzz were taken at the time.

“It isn’t one of our sharks, we don’t have such small sharks,” joked Zwiegelaar on Wednesday.

Source: - Die Burger

Thomas P. Peschak who is an award winning photojournalist and marine biologist based in Cape Town, has a 15-page article in Africa Geographic. The article covers the history and impact of shark nets along the KwaZulu Natal coastline. Thomas is also the chief photographer for Save Our Seas Foundation. Click here to download the PDF article, it is well worth the read. There is also a video about the shark nets on the Save Our Seas Foundations website.