A 150kg bull shark, weighing as much as a large piano, has been caught in Sydney Harbour near the spot where 12-year-old Nico Antic was fatally mauled earlier this month. The shark was reeled in on Tuesday off Clifton Gardens, just days after the horror attack on January 18.
Fisherman Chris Allchin, who caught the shark, described the experience as daunting. He was strapped into a harness and chained to a fishing rod, with two friends holding him to prevent being pulled into the water. The capture took place within sight of where the boy was bitten.
Nico Antic, from North Bondi, was jumping into the harbour from rocks with friends when he was attacked. He was pulled from the water by his friends and rushed to Sydney Children's Hospital, where he died. His family remembered him as a 'happy, friendly and sporty boy' with a kind and generous spirit, thanking first responders and the hospital staff.
The attack was one of a spate of shark incidents along the New South Wales coast, including a mauling of a 27-year-old man at North Steyne Beach and a surfer whose board was bitten but who escaped injury. The community has rallied around the grieving family, who have requested privacy during this difficult time.
