Marine scientists have chanced their arm to save a shark that was choking on fishing tackle.
The 2.5m endangered grey nurse shark was found off Byron Bay, and was too weak to resist capture after getting a knot of fishing tackle stuck down its throat.
Marine scientists said the shark was 25kg underweight having not eaten for months, with its lower jaw so weak it was no longer functioning properly.
The Sea World experts inserted a plastic pipe down the shark's throat to prevent injury from its rows of razor-sharp teeth and removed the blockage.
"It's about a third under its body mass, so it's quite severely debilitated," Sea World spokesman Trevor Long told the ABC.
"The animal's got to be able to have a functioning jaw if it's going to be able to survive in the wild."
He said the team was "flying blind a bit" until X-rays were conducted to determine the extent of the shark's injuries.
The shark did not appear to be in pain, though it was a bit frustrated.
The sickly shark is one of only about 500 grey nurse sharks remaining along Australia's east coast.
The species is listed as endangered under the Nature Conservation Act 1992, having been hunted almost to extinction.
Grey nurse sharks breed only once every three years, usually giving birth to either one or two pups.
Front page
RSS Feed