A thresher shark washed up on Narrowneck Beach. Photo / Tess McGregor
A dead shark which washed up on a Devonport beach is likely to have been discarded by fishers.
The juvenile thresher shark - which are found in coastal waters throughout New Zealand - washed over the holiday weekend near Narrow Neck Beach.
It is the second shark sighting on the North Shore in as many days.
Yesterday, broadcaster David Lomas was rattled by a shark which was bumping his kayak off nearby Takapuna.
"Once you know it's attacking the boat you have that image of it coming out of the water and having a go at you.
"I just gave it a good stab down with my paddle. It stopped and disappeared under my boat, heading backwards," Lomas told the Herald yesterday.
But shark expert and Department of Conservation marine scientist Clinton Duffy said the dead thresher was "extremely unlikely" to be the same shark.
"They have a small mouth and small teeth and are not considered dangerous to people. It is extremely unlikely that this species of shark was involved in the interaction with Mr Lomas' kayak.
"This shark was probably caught and discarded by a fisher. It was either dead and washed ashore, or died sometime after release," he said.
Jackie Gulik said she had to take a look at the shark after photos of it were shared on the Devonport Locals Facebook Group. She took her son Fletcher, who is shark obsessed.
The 19-year-old was found in a remote area in the hills of Upper Hutt.