Twenty-three rig sharks and a stingray were found dead in Porirua Harbour in what conservation groups are calling a "distressing" and "highly unusual" discovery.
The sharks were found last Thursday in the Pāuatahanui Inlet by Greater Wellington Regional Council staff carrying out routine sediment monitoring.
Porirua Harbour Trust chairperson Michael Player told 1News the sharks appeared to have been dumped overnight.
"They were found by council officers doing regular monitoring, and it was clear from how fresh they were that it likely happened the previous night," Player said.
The sharks had their gills slit, while the stingray had its barb removed. All were dead when discovered.
Greater Wellington environmental scientist Rachel Parry said the find was deeply concerning.
"Finding dead sharks in these numbers was distressing and highly unusual," she said.
Parry said another rig shark was also seen alive but injured in the nearby Onepoto Inlet the same morning.
The Pāuatahanui Inlet was a critical habitat for rig sharks, also known as lemonfish, particularly during spring and summer.
"During springtime, the Porirua Harbour is a precious breeding ground for rig sharks, and in summer and autumn it's considered a high-value nursery," Parry said.
"It plays a very important role in sustaining population numbers, as rig sharks are known to return to the same areas to give birth and mate."
Player said the discovery was especially upsetting given how rarely the species is seen in the harbour.
"I've lived here for 11 years, I walk it, paddleboard it, use it a lot. I've never seen a rig shark myself," he said.
"They're very shy animals, so to see 23 that had been slaughtered was quite distressing."
Fisheries New Zealand district manager Aaron Mendoza said the agency was notified by local commercial fishers and had examined photographs of the animals.
"We can confirm the sharks are rig, which are targeted by commercial fishers and sometimes caught as bycatch by recreational fishers," Mendoza said.
"Given the marks on the sharks and the cutting of the gills, we think it's likely they were cut free from a recreational set net."
Set netting was illegal in the inlet, and Fisheries New Zealand said restrictions also applied along much of the west coast of the lower North Island.
"While it is legal to discard rig shark in limited circumstances, it's unclear where the net was set," Mendoza said.
"We remind all set net fishers that it is illegal to set inside four nautical miles offshore from the coast of Hāwera south to the Wellington Harbour entrance."
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