A lengthy investigation by the Ministry for Primary Industries following the incident in early January has concluded with the individual learning they will not face charges under the Animal Welfare Act.
“Our inquiries found a person had attempted to euthanise the shark after it had swallowed a hook,” said Murray Pridham, MPI regional manager of animal welfare and national animal identification and tracing programme compliance.
“There are guidelines covering how a shark can be killed to minimise suffering, which includes severing its spine across the back of its head.
“A consultant scientist who reviewed a social media video of the incident concluded the shark was most likely euthanised in this way.”
The man was also commended for slicing open the shark to remove and save any unborn sharks by returning them to the sea.
“The consultant scientist said the shark would have come into shallow water to give birth and the shark pups would have had a strong chance of survival,” Pridham said.
MPI was alerted to the incident by a woman who filmed it and believed the shark was still alive when it was sliced open.
She said the man cut up the shark and threw the pieces back into the ocean. He was accompanied by two teenage boys.
Another beach-goer said, although the shark pups spilled into the water, they were swiftly picked off by seagulls as “really upset children” looked on.
