Live shark removal leaves $3k City bill

Removing a live shark from within the Middleton Beach swimming enclosure in November cost more than $3000, City of Albany documents have revealed.

The 1.5m whaler shark was removed from within the enclosure early on November 24 after it was spotted by swimmers.

It was the second shark to make it into the enclosure in weeks, following the removal of a dead mako shark about the same size from inside the net in October.

At the time, City of Albany infrastructure and environment executive director Matthew Thomson said there would be a review of the incidents, but he suspected the mako had been dumped by fishers.

“The enclosure has been in place for almost three years, so it is odd that we have found these two small sharks within the enclosure in the past two months, but we have no evidence to confirm the shark was put in there deliberately,” he said.

The net’s three-year trial period will end in March.

A City evaluation of its effectiveness is expected.