The National Aquarium of New Zealand released two sharks into the ocean early this morning, returning them to the waters from which they originated.
These were the aquarium’s last remaining sharks, a 2.2 metre broadnose sevengill shark and a 1.2 metre school shark. Both species are naturally occurring in Hawke Bay and are wide spread throughout New Zealand waters.
Rachel Haydon, General Manager at the National Aquarium, explains that the decision to release the sharks was due to recurring abrasions the sharks experienced to their noses (rostrums).
Lisa was born in Auckland at the start of the 1970s, living in a small campsite community on the North Shore called Browns Bay. She spent a significant part of her life with her grandparents, often hanging out at the beaches. Lisa has many happy memories from those days at Browns Bay beach, where fish were plentiful on the point and the ocean was rich in seaweed. She played in the water for hours, going home totally “sun-kissed.” “An adorable time to grow up,” Lisa tells me.
Lisa enjoyed many sports; she was a keen tennis player and netballer, playing in the top teams for her age right up until the family moved to Wellington. Lisa was fifteen years old, which unfortunately marked the end of her sporting career. Local teams were well established in Wellington, and her attention was drawn elsewhere.