NSW Fisheries staff were ordered not to tell the public a two-metre bull shark was caught in Sydney's south, despite public safety concerns.
The shark from the notoriously dangerous species was reeled in by the Shark Research Program in Port Hacking, a popular swimming, wakeboarding and fishing destination, Nine News reports.
Fisheries usually announces when a shark is caught in a new waterway, but staff say the decision to keep the discovery a secret stems from NSW Government plans to axe a nearby research centre.
"They chose not to put this story out but every time we caught a shark in a new waterway we've always put a story out," an anonymous Fisheries employee said.
"It's for public safety."
The State Government has decided to close the Cronulla Fisheries Centre, the facility equipped to run the shark program.
Sutherland Shire Mayor Carol Provan says the centre sits on a piece of prime real estate.
"It just doesn't make any sense to us — it's got to be a land grab," Cr Provan said.
The State Government said it was "not practice to issue an alert every time a shark researcher catches a shark".
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