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Story: Sharks and rays

Great white shark catch

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Great white shark catch

People fear sharks, but sharks have more reason to fear humans. This great white shark, recorded as 18 feet (5.5 metres) long, was caught at Port Chalmers about 1900. The length may be an overestimate, and a more likely length is 4–4.5 metres. Sharks have been caught around New Zealand for food, for sport, and for their fins and liver oil.

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Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: 10x8-1669-G

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Gerard Hutching, Sharks and rays – Natural history of sharks and rays, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/5303/great-white-shark-catch (accessed 20 June 2026).

Story by Gerard Hutching, published 2 March 2009.