A partnership between Port Stephens fishermen and a Bobs Farm businessman has seen the creation of a new shark and ray centre for the Tomaree Peninsula.
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Andrew Tindale, the former owner of the Australian Shark and Ray Centre, has now opened the Shark and Ray Rescue Centre in the same Bobs Farm venue but with an all new business model.
For the past three months Mr Tindale has worked with local fishermen to save injured sharks and rays from fishing nets and deliver them to the rescue centre for rehabilitation.
"Fishermen have been saving any injured sharks or rays out of their nets, taking care of them sometimes for hours at a time and delivering them to the newly renovated rescue centre," Mr Tindale said.
"The rescue centre also purchases sharks, rays, eels, fish and octopus that would normally end up at the fish markets, saving them from the dinner plate."
The Australian Shark and Ray Centre was built specifically for sharks and rays 13 years ago.
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The centre in Marsh Road had been home to Irukandji Shark and Ray Encounters before the business moved to a new site in Anna Bay. Irukandji is not affiliated with the current Shark and Ray Rescue Centre at Bobs Farm.
In opening the new rescue centre, Mr Tindale said he felt it was time to do something different for "these amazing animals".
"The process has us initially saving the shark or rays, then getting the general public to raise any rescued baby sharks," he said. "Then when they get big enough they bring them back and we move those rescued sharks onto public aquariums.
"These animals are already acclimated to captivity and will have a much better chance of survival in a public aquarium, thus drastically reducing the number of older wild animals being caught for that industry.
"And the local commercial fishermen are key to that. The Haul Netting Fishery is without a doubt one of the most sustainable fishing methods but even then there can be a few damaged sharks and rays who wouldn't be bale to survive in the wild.
"Of all the animals rescued, most are purchased and very few damaged by the commercial fishermen. But it's great to know the fishermen care enough to make the effort to saved the few that do get hurt."
The centre is also developing a seahorse and clownfish farm with the same goal of reducing wild caught aquarium fish.
"Visitors can pat and feed all our sharks, rays, even eels safely," Mr Tindale said.
The cost to enter the centre is $15 for adults and $10 for children or seniors.
Port Stephens residents are being offered the opportunity to pay once and then enter for free an unlimited amount of times until June 30, 2021.
The centre is open 10am to 4pm seven days during the school holidays.
More: sharkray.com.au
