Divers save shark stuck on seabead with hook in mouth

By Lauren Beavis

Video shows divers saving a shark's life after finding it with a hook stuck in its mouth stuck to the seabed.

Co-founders of Sussex Underwater, Eric Smith and Grant Pullen, were out diving on June 22 when they saw a struggling Starry Smooth Hound.

The two divers managed to unhook the shark and rescue her from a grim fate.

Eric said: "Myself and Grant were very sad to see this majestic Starry Smooth Hound in such distress, having fought for her life so hard.

"A hook was stuck in her mouth and the line she was trailing had become entangled in the seabed."

Eric explained: "Once rescued she took about ten minutes to recover and then we had the pleasure of watching her disappear into the blue."

The location of the shark was not revealed.

Smooth hounds are generally shy and are not aggressive, preferring to avoid people, and in the UK, they typically reach a size of around one to 1.6 meters.

Sussex Underwater aim to raise awareness of the need to protect our seas and the marine life within it.

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Catrine, of Sussex Underwater, said: "Our co-founder Eric Smith (in the video) campaigned for trawlers to be banned in Sussex for 20 years after being an eyewitness to their destructive methods of fishing.

"Eventually, in 2021, we got a trawling ban here, the largest in the UK.

"This story has recently been told in David Attenborough's book 'Ocean'.

"We would love to see trawling banned in all marine protected areas in the UK."

Catrine explained how smooth hounds like the one in the video would have been by-catch for these trawlers, and since the ban has come into place, swimmers and divers are seeing an increase in these beautiful creatures and many others in Sussex waters.

She added that discarded fishing gear makes up around 20 per cent of the plastic in the sea.

Catrine added: "As you can see from the video, this can then go on to kill and injure sea creatures.

"It would be great to see more biodegradable fishing gear in use. Things that break down over time and that not made of plastics.

"Some of our local beach fishers have been part of a scheme to take old fishing gear and recycle it, which has also been a great success."

For more information, visit Sussex Underwater here.