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Moreton Bay Sharks Here I am on pier at St Helena Island in Moreton Bay. As well as one of the prettiest islands, in the 1800s it was also a penal colony. Two challenges faced those wanting to escape - the daunting swim to shore… and the sharks! Moreton Bay attracts sharks because of the natural abundance of baitfish and sand crabs. And up until the mid 60s, the discarded whale carcasses from the Tangalooma Whaling Station. These balloons keep your bait floating near the surface.. in this case, a lovely bit of bonito. When the sharks hook up, the balloon sometimes pops or floats away. Its party time!Our first taker is a little hammerhead. We're tagging our catches, so scientists have a chance to learn about the growth and movement of these great predators. Almost as soon as we can wet our bait, the sharks are circling again.This time - it's a curious and hungry inky tail. That was amazing, we saw everything from start to finish. We catch another - about 20 kilo. It's a toddler compared to some caught in the Bay. Tiger Sharks here can reach 1400 pound and Great Whites up to 2000 pounds. In fact, Moreton's the only port in the world to hold the tackle record for tiger sharks and white sharks at the same time. Back at the marina after a great day - we hooked plenty, lost a few and got 3 onto the boat, so it looks like those sharks aren't all that hard to tackle after all hey ET!
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Moreton Bay Sharks Our shark spot was just off St Helena Island, in Moreton Bay… The Bay is about a 40 minute drive from the centre of Brisbane. |
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