Less than ten days after Sydney’s first fatal shark attack in 60 years, a long-time fisherman says he has never seen so many of the predators in the city’s waters.
Al Glashan, a fisherman and ocean photographer, says shark numbers around Sydney Harbour have soared to their highest levels in 30 years.
Diving instructor Simon Nellist was killed by a 4.5-metre great white on February 16 at Buchan Point near Little Bay, a famous beach for swimming and fishing.
Simon Nellist and Jessie Ho (pictured together) were supposed to get married in 2020 but he died in a horrific shark attack on February 16
Randwick City beaches – including Little Bay – were closed after the fatal shark attack (pictured: Bondi beach). They have since reopened by now a fisherman has reported a ‘frenzy’ of sharks
Less than 10 days after Sydney’s first fatal shark attack in 60 years, a long-time fisherman says he has never seen so many of the predators in the city’s waters
It was the first fatal attack in Sydney for 60 years and coincides with reports of a boom in shark numbers and activity around Australia’s biggest city.
‘I’ve caught more sharks this year than all the years combined,’ Mr McGlashan, who has fished in Sydney for 30 years, told The Daily Telegraph.
‘It’s ridiculous – you just catch them one after the other.’
Mr McGlashan claimed warmer ocean temperatures could be drawing some shark species to swim closer to people than ever.
He has seen an increase in bronze whaler and hammerhead shark numbers, especially around Long Reef.
It is also believed bull shark numbers are high too, driven by large amounts of fish in the harbour.
The first fatal shark attack in Sydney since 1963 occurred at Buchan Point in Sydney’s east
British diving instructor Simon Nellist, 35, died just 500ft from horrified beachgoers near Sydney
He claimed that bronze whalers ended up on a hook ‘on every trip’, whereas in previous years, they were rare.
Bronze whalers grow up to three metres and, while not usually aggressive, they are potentially dangerous to humans, according to Museums Victoria.
Meanwhile, bull sharks are usually regarded as being the main threat to swimmers
‘[A bull shark is ] a large, robust shark that is responsible for many fatal attacks on humans,’ Museums Victoria said.
While great white sharks close to shore are much rarer, their power and size – up to 6.4 metres – mean they will often kill humans with an exploratory bite.
Research has also shown great white numbers are also up, having recovered after earlier being a threatened species.
The NSW government declared them a threatened species in 1996 and then considered vulnerable to extinction in 1999.
Although great whites are known to prefer cooler waters than their smaller cousins, they do happily exist in water up to 24 degrees celsius.
Sydney’s water temperature on Friday was 25 degrees.
There are claims of a big increase of sharks in waters around Sydney, being seen by rock fishermen and on fishing boats
Mr Nellist was training for a charity swim at the time and had voiced opposition to extra shark protection being introduced for swimmers because of the potential for harm to sharks
Rock fishing on Sydney’s coastline (pictured) is a popular recreational activity including at Buchan Point close to where Mr Nellist died
Police were seen scouring the water’s edge after the attack in hopes of finding evidence
Mr Nellist was training for a charity swim at the time and had voiced opposition to extra shark protection being introduced for swimmers.
‘Shark net and drum lines protect no one and kill all kinds of marine life each year’ he wrote on Facebook last August.
There have been several theories about why the huge white shark took Mr Nellist.
These included that it mistook him for a seal as he was in a wetsuit and that nearby fishermen could have drawn the shark in by throwing burley into the water to attract fish.
Search teams took to the water in the frantic search for the swimmer after the great white attack (pictured)
Swimmers took to the water at Little Bay soon after the attack despite fears the shark may still be in the area
Sharks are said to be in large numbers in Sydney waters in 2022 (pictured, a stock image of shark culling in WA)
One local said ‘fishing and swimming should not be done in the same area where these shark swim’.
But the a professional fisherman Joe Smythe told Daily Mail Australia Buchan Point is an ideal spot for sharks already and calls to ban recreational fishing were ‘hysteria’.
‘That location screams shark attacks, there’s a fish holding structure with the rocks and reef dropping off into deep water – and sharks patrol that territory.’
This week Mr Nell’s shattered fiancée shared a touching photo of the day he proposed.
The ‘love of his life’ Jessie Ho, uploaded a photo on Sunday showing them together by the water in 2019.
Alongside the image, Ms Ho posted the date Mr Nellist asked her to be his wife – leading several friends to come forward to make comments about their love story.
The pair were supposed to marry in 2020, but had to postpone until the middle of this year due to the pandemic.
Daily Mail Australia understands their wedding was scheduled to take place in a matter of weeks.
Family members had been expecting to fly in for the nuptials – but are now tragically booking flights to attend his memorial service instead.
