Fisherman bitten while trying to free shark near Port Elizabeth

A fisherman was bitten on the arm while trying to free a 2.5m shark caught in their trawler's fishing nets near Port Elizabeth.

Port Elizabeth National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) deputy station commander Justin Erasmus said the incident happened at 4pm on Tuesday while the trawler was 30 nautical miles off-shore of Port Elizabeth.

Erasmus said the 46-year-old Cape Town fisherman was bitten on the upper left arm and forearm.

“The shark was successfully released and the alarm was raised and the trawler began heading towards Port Elizabeth,” he said.

“In rough sea conditions, once closer to the Port of Port Elizabeth, we launched our sea rescue craft Spirit of Toft accompanied by an EC Government Health EMS rescue paramedic and rendezvoused with the trawler four nautical miles South of our sea rescue station.”

Erasmus said the fisherman, who was in a stable condition and bandaged by his crew, was transferred onto the NSRI rescue boat.

The man was transported to hospital in a stable condition.