Drone footage of the dead shark being hauled onto a boat by a government contractor in waters off Snapper Rocks at Rainbow Bay have been circulated on social media.
The extraordinary footage received a mixed response online with some commenters glad the shark was no longer in the water and others upset that the shark had been killed.
A Department of Primary Industries spokesperson said the 4.1m shark was one of 11 tiger sharks caught at Rainbow Bay this year to date.
“Tiger sharks can grow up to approximately six metres in length so while this is a very large shark, it is far from the largest for this species,” the spokesperson said.
“Tiger sharks are a target species for the (Shark Control) program.
“The purpose of the shark control program is to reduce the risk of shark attacks along Queensland’s coastal beaches.”
Tiger sharks are one of seven target shark species in the program.
Snapper Rocks, at the southern end of Rainbow Bay, is a world-famous surf spot popular with swimmers and surfers.
In 2020, surfer Nick Slater was killed by a great white shark bite at nearby Greenmount Beach.
It was the first fatal shark bite in Gold Coast waters since 1958.
