By Thomas Sargeant
Copyright news
In the footage captured near Newcastle, multiple shark fins can be seen rising above the water’s surface on Lake Macquarie.
Looking out on the rainy surface of the water from his fishing vessel, owner of Hunter Shark Jaw Restoration Joel Nancarrow said he could see “one shark there, another shark there”.
“A good-sized fish too,” he said.
“Good old Lake Macquarie, she’s healthy.”
Lake Macquarie is approximately seven times the size of Sydney Harbour, and is the largest coastal saltwater lagoon in Australia.
It opens to the ocean through the Swansea Channel and is known locally to have a range of shark species present in its waters.
The NSW Government undertakes a number of shark mitigation measures in the area surrounding Lake Macquarie, including the deployment of drones, shark nets, a listening station and drumlines to intercept sharks for tagging and release.
White, bull and tiger sharks are the three sharks predominantly involved in serious shark attacks in NSW.
In the year to June 2024, 13 of these sharks including eight white sharks were captured and tagged at Lake Macquarie. Other species sighted in the area include hammerheads, wobbegongs, small whalers and greynurse sharks.
A spokeswoman for the NSW Department of Primary Industries said recent reports of white sharks along the state’s coast and Lake Macquarie area are “consistent with the annual movement patterns for white sharks on our coast”.
“Scientific population studies of white sharks suggest that their numbers have remained stable in recent years,” she said.
“Claims of increased shark sightings and interactions are likely influenced by factors like more people using the water, changes in environmental conditions, better tracking technology and the use of social media.”
Commenters on Mr Nancarrow’s video were impressed with the presence of so many sharks in the water.
“That’s so crazy, and to think most of us went swimming there as kids,” one commenter wrote.
“That’s why I refuse to swim in the lake,” another said.
In 2021, the presence of sharks in the lake attracted media attention after a man was suffered injuries to his arm after being attacked.
A map of shark mitigation measures and sightings is available for those who use the lake for fishing or recreation, the Department of Primary Industries spokeswoman said.
“The SharkSmart app regularly provides updates on sharks spotted or tagged on coastal beaches and at our tagged shark listening stations in the area”.
