Unusual Cast Enlisted To Help Reel In 250kg Monster

The Age

Thursday March 13, 2008

Larissa Ham with Bridie Smith

IT WOULD be enough to keep the average family in fish'n'chips for years. But Bill Athanasslies' catch near Point Lonsdale pier on Tuesday - a 250-kilogram, three-metre-long bronze whaler shark - was simply too toxic for human consumption.

Mr Athanasslies, a 37-year-old fisherman from Ivanhoe, had been training for a moment like it since he first cast his line as a five-year-old.

At 6am on Tuesday, his two-hour battle with his biggest catch ever began in darkness. Feeling a sharp tug on the line, suddenly "the reel erupted into a huge scream," Mr Athanasslies said.

Various fishing gadgetry and the brute strength of four fellow fisherman with him on the pier were enlisted, but after 45 minutes it seemed the shark was winning the battle. There was nothing for it but to seek outside assistance.

"I hopped into my car," Mr Athanasslies said. "I drove into Port Lonsdale. I saw two plumbers having a coffee and got them and as I was driving back I saw a jogger, so he hopped into my car."

It was not until around 8am, the sun well and truly up, that, finally, the shark was heaved on to the pier.

"I was excited, very excited. What's the word for it - elated," Mr Athanasslies said.

The size of the shark meant that it was unsuitable for eating, because of the amount of ammonia it contained. But the fisherman, who owns a fishing company with two mates, kept its head as a trophy. "I got him and took him to the taxidermist to get his teeth done," he said.

Point Lonsdale Surf Life Saving Club secretary Matt Ponsford said swimmers should not be overly alarmed, the pier being several kilometres from the patrolled beach. Fixed wing aircraft regularly patrolled for sharks, he said, but those taking to the water should always swim between the flags.

Melbourne Aquarium curator Nick Kirby said 250 kilograms was a significant size for a bronze whaler. He said the fish would be a mature breeding animal, about 20 years old. But he said it was rare for the shark to be found in Victorian waters, as the species spent most of its time in the warmer waters off South Australia and NSW.

Mr Kirby said bronze whale sharks were shy and kept clear of people and boats. They are not considered dangerous and are not a protected species. -- With BRIDIE SMITH

© 2008 The Age

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