A commercial fisher, netting in shallow Tuggerah Lake, Australia, claims to have netted a great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), which may have been around 21-feet in length. To estimate the size of the great white, the commercial fisher used his 18-foot boat as a reference, and he claimed that the shark was larger than his boat. The fisher reported taking the shark in nets “he had cast off Canton Beach, at the northern end of the lake.” Despite the fisher’s account, some shark experts strongly doubt the encounter.

However, great white sharks have been recorded swimming in shallow saltwater lagoons before. In 2004, a “1,700-pound female shark” was found swimming in a saltwater lagoon on Naushon Island, which is located near Woods Hole, Massachusetts. The 14-foot female great white shark “swam in circles in a shallow area filled with smaller fish,” but the shark was eventually coaxed into deeper water. Additionally, Tuggerah Lake has been visited by great white sharks in the past. From The Central Coast Express Advocate:

It is the second great white found in Tuggerah Lake since 2005. It comes on top of three other shark sightings in the lakes system in as many years. Experts fear the great white may be trapped in the lake unable to reach the sea because The Entrance channel is too shallow.

But the channel has been open to the ocean since last year’s June long weekend storms and after recent king tides others, including senior NSW Fisheries staff, believe large sharks could come and go as they pleased.
Most agreed it would have entered the lake chasing schools of fish, probably mullet which were in abundance until recently.

The commercial fisherman, understood to have been a 20-year veteran, was in hiding from the media yesterday.

But his story prompted Tuggerah Lakes police to issue a public warning to lake users.

Chief-Insp Tim Winmill said the fisherman was known to NSW Fisheries as a “reliable witness” and regarded the tale of his encounter as believable.

Chief-Insp Winmill said the fisherman reported the shark was caught in his net off Canton Beach.

He said the fisherman dragged the shark’s head out of the water in front of his 5.5m boat and looked back to see the tail extend well past the back of the boat.

He estimated it at 7m long.

Tuggerah Lakes Volunteer Coast Guard commander Grahame Bissaker spoke to the fisherman.

“He said he was very frightened and he had to cut his nets to let it free, there was nothing else he could do. He said the shark bumped his boat and he thought it was going to roll it.”

“Everyone needs to know there is a shark in Tuggerah Lakes and to stay out of the water,” Mr Bissaker said. “Even if you are in a canoe or kayak if the shark hit those, you’d be gone.”

It follows a shark sighting in the same area in January 2006 when people saw a large fin in the water about 200m offshore.

This was not far from where a baby 2m great white shark was found tangled in nets in September 2005.

Furthermore, in spite of the title from the TIME magazine article: “Attack of the Freshwater Shark?,” which highlights the recent Tuggerah Lake encounter, Tuggerah Lake is brackish, because both freshwater and saltwater flow into the coastal lagoon. Furthermore, it has been reported that the fluctuations of salinity influences the species composition of the lake. Freshwater shark attacks are most likely to occur from encounters with bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas), because their physiology allows them to enter freshwater for long periods of time. More via TIME:

It was around 4 degrees Celsius on the lake at 5.30 am on Wednesday, making it the coldest morning of the year in these parts. Wrapped in several layers of clothing, the fisherman was startled by splashing noises coming from underneath his craft, then alarmed by a recurring thudding sound, as though something were striking it. Having rushed to one side of the boat, he peered down to see a gigantic fish trapped in a net….

“He said it was bigger than his boat,” reported local Chief Inspector Tim Winmill. “He’s got an 18-ft. boat and he said it would have been 21 ft. (6.5 m.).” Winmill said police had no reason to doubt the fisherman’s story: he was known to local authorities as a responsible member of the industry. As a result, police have issued a warning to anyone using Tuggerah and two smaller, connected lakes to take extreme care. Though the water at this time of year is numbingly cold, it’s school holidays in New South Wales until the end of next week and some children won’t necessarily be deterred from swimming or other activities.

How would the ocean-going monster have gotten into a freshwater lagoon? Tuggerah Lake is connected to the Pacific Ocean through a tidal channel called The Entrance. It is 12 km long and 4 km. wide, with an average depth of 6-7 m, roughly 20 feet. “It’s not a big lake,” said Chief Inspector Winmill, “but it’s a bloody big shark — if it’s true.”

Some images from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries of the 14-foot female great white shark found in a Cape Cod salt pond during 2004:

More images, videos, and press releases can be found at the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, and you can read more of The Conservation Report’s Shark Week here.