Diver Frees Two Rare Angel Sharks Caught in Net
29 mar 2007 | Source: DiveSter
Some of Australia's beaches are protected by shark nets strung along the coast. These nets are intended to keep "dangerous" sharks away from beach-goers, but they frequently ensnare other marine creatures by accident. Peter Reimann, a scuba diver with SurfWatch, a volunteer organization that monitors the coastline for marine animals caught in nets, claims he's getting used to seeing marine life tangled in the nets. He believes contractors are not erecting the nets properly, allowing them to drag on the ocean floor and catch creatures that should be able to go beneath them, like eagle rays, Port Jackson sharks, and more.

Recently, Reimann discovered two rare angel sharks -- low-swimming fish that look more like rays than sharks -- wrapped in rope. One of the sharks, a male, was cut loose and swam away. But the other, a female -- possibly his breeding partner -- was released close to death. According to Reimann, "We were ... lucky to see it when we did. In another day or so it would have been dead." While the nets have a good track record for keeping the beaches safe Down Under, they are somewhat controversial, because of the high incidence of by-catch they are blamed for.


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