Enormous tiger shark is caught at a popular Sydney beach - as drumlines capture dozens more deadly predators along Australia's east coast
- Three-and-a-half-metre tiger shark was caught in the Palm Beach-Newport area
- Another two-and-a-half-metre tiger shark was caught near Dee Why in Manly
- Dozens more sharks have been identified in a high-tech drumlines trial off NSW
A three-and-a-half-metre tiger shark caught off Sydney was among dozens intercepted in a trial of high-tech drumlines off NSW in recent months.
The huge shark was snagged in the Palm Beach-Newport area during the recently completed 90-day trial, while a two-and-a-half-metre tiger shark was caught around Dee Why in Manly.
Fourteen sharks were caught in trials of the SMART drumlines off Sydney beaches, while elsewhere more than 40 sharks were snagged on the NSW south and north coasts and at Newcastle, according to data released by Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall on Sunday.
A three-and-a-half-metre tiger shark caught off Sydney was among dozens of sharks intercepted in a trial of high-tech drumlines off NSW in recent months (stock photo)
Species caught included great white sharks, bronze whalers, grey nurse and bull sharks, among others.
The satellite-linked drumlines were set near existing shark nets and alerted boat crews, who tagged and released sharks when caught.
Mr Marshall said the drumlines were a success and helped to reduce shark incidents at beaches.
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'The beauty of this technology is that it not only prevents shark encounters but also allows scientists to monitor the tagged sharks and learn more about their behaviour,' Mr Marshall said in a statement.
The Department of Primary Industries will analyse the results before deciding on further steps, the statement said.
The huge shark was snagged in the Palm Beach-Newport area (pictured) during the recently completed 90-day trial, while a two-and-a-half-metre tiger shark was caught around Dee Why in Manly
The Global Shark Attack File states shark attacks have increased throughout Australia in recent years, jumping from three in 1955 to 57 in 2015.
Though the number of shark attacks have increased, the population of sharks have severely decreased.
In Queensland, shark numbers across the coast have decreased by more than 90 per cent for some species over the past fifty years.
The reduction in population has been attributed to an increase in commercial and recreational over-fishing.
'It would be a great tragedy if we lost these species because of preventable human causes,' Dr Brown Chris told The Guardian late last year.
'Sharks play important roles in ecosystems as scavengers and predators, and they are indicators of healthy ecosystems.
'These declines are concerning because they suggest the health of coastal ecosystems is also declining.'
