A Victorian fisherman, his fiancé and his pet dog had a rare encounter with a hungry shark and everything was caught on camera.
Fisherman vs. Shark
Gil Pauline, 32, launched a 3.7-meter tinny 10km out into Port Phillip Bay, off Queenscliff January morning. He grabbed his speargun and jumped into the water.
Gil remembered being surrounded by 30 or 40 tuna and he picked one that was about 30 kilograms. He told. Yahoo! News Australia that he shot it and the fight began.
He tussled with the tuna for an hour underwater until he managed to pull the fish in closer and that's when he noticed that a shark was stalking his catch. He already suspected that there was a shark close by when he noticed the tuna changing its behavior.
Gil suspected that he was being stalked by a great white, so he immediately jumped into the boat. He admitted that he was scared as he was alone in the water by himself. His adrenaline rush enabled him to escape the shark.
In a video shared on the Life Adrift YouTube account, the shark consumed a massive chunk of Gil's tuna. However, the shark didn't stop there, it returned and attempted to bite the motor and encircled the boat.
Gil and his companion were safe. They were thankful because no one was hurt and they still had a lot of meat to take home and eat.
Gil said they spoke to some fishermen on the jetty and they thought that the shark they encountered, based on the description, was a sevengill shark. It reportedly attacked five humans unprovoked and can be aggressive toward humans.
What Is Broadnose Sevengill Shark?
According to Shark Sider, Broadnose Sevengill Shark (Notorynchus cepedianus), is the only common coastal member of the Cowshark family, Hexanchidae, because most members prefer to stay in deep water. They have a short, blunt snout and a dorsal fin far back on the body.
They are easy to distinguish from the other Sevengill shark, like Sharpnose Sevengill, because of their broad head, large body, small eye, large anal fin and small black and white spots covering the back and fins. Additionally, its lower jaw has six rows of large teeth.
They are considered potentially dangerous to humans because they are aggressive when provoked. They thrash and snap when caught and are often shot to avoid human injury.
As Gil mentioned, there are indeed reports of five unprovoked attacks since the 16th century and captive sharks have attacked divers in aquaria.
Sevengill sharks are hunted for their liver oil and leather. Some also go after them for human consumption because their meat is considered high quality.
The IUCN Red List assessed the Broadnose Sevengill as "Data Deficient" in 2005. There is not enough information to determine its vulnerability to extinction. However, it is reportedly assessed as "Near Threatened" in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
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