Dog walker's horror after finding 'dozens' of dead sharks washed up on beach

19 May 2023 , 01:24

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The sharks were found on Leasowe Beach in Merseyside (Image: Andrew Teebay/Liverpool Echo)

A dog walker was shocked when he came across dozens of shark carcasses washed up on a beach in Liverpool.

Mick Preston headed down to Leasowe Beach on Wednesday evening (May 17) after seeing a Facebook post about dead sea creatures washing up on the shore.

The 37-year-old said that he tallied up 25 smooth-hound sharks along a small stretch of the beach leading up to the Leasow Golf Club., however the total number is expected to be much higher, with another passerby saying he counted over a hundred of the animals.

Mick told the ECHO: "Me and the Mrs and dog went for a walk and it's just not a nice sight. I've done this for a hobby for 22 years - I've fished the Mersey since I was 14.

The dead sharks were scattered across the sand (Liverpool Echo WS)

"The gillnets are the main problem. The fish that are surplus to requirements or ones they can't sell, they're just bumping off.

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"By the time they've been dragged through water in the net and everything [they're already dead]. They're tossed overboard like garbage.

"Porpoises, seals, tope have all become quite regular in the Mersey and surrounding areas of Mersey. If we're fighting against pollution and getting somewhere and these fish are moving back into Mersey...how long is it until numbers decrease dramatically and we don't get them again?

"If a rod and line angler had caught it bringing it in they would take a photo and release it then."

One local says the practice of 'gilnetting' is to blame and needs to be more closely regulated (Andrew Teebay/Liverpool Echo)

While gilnetting - a form of fishing using vertical panels of netting that hang from a line - is not illegal, Mick said he feels the use of the nets needs to be more carefully regulated.

He would like the North Western Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NWIFCA) to have a greater presence on beaches in the area to help monitor the situation.

An NWIFCA spokesperson said: "Under current local and national legislation, it is not illegal to fish using gill-nets on foot in the Mersey Estuary, nor discard unwanted by-catch from those nets. NWIFCA officers regularly patrol the area and conduct inspections of this fishery to ensure compliance with specific regulations regarding the physical make-up of the nets in use.

"As a modern regulator, we are keen to receive and review evidence which enables us to consider how best to manage and regulate inshore fishing activity in the future. We would ask that any members of the public who have concerns regarding any fishing activity in the area contact us via our email office@nw-ifca.gov.uk."

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Will Maule