Fisherman performs C-section on dead shark to rescue dozens of pups inside

Ok, we’re going to warn you that this is graphic.

And not like someone’s-bleeding-from-a-paper-cut kind of graphic, but plunging-a-knife-in-the-belly-of-a-shark graphic.

If you want to opt out, we wouldn’t blame you.

But if you’re committed to seeing the violent birth of a bunch of baby sharks, press play.

What you’re watching is Mathew Orlov, a tradie from Geelong, acting as a marine obstetrician.

When he reeled in the 2.7m sevengill shark off the coast of Barwon Heads, Victoria on Monday, he knew something was up.

“I could feel through the line when she was being attacked,” he told Nelson Groom at Caters News.

“As soon as we pulled it up I knew was mauled by another shark.”

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But he also noticed something else about the shark – its belly was moving.

It became clear the dead shark was an expectant mother.

Orlov realised that, if he didn’t act quickly, the babies would die alongside their mum.

He’d never performed a shark caesarean section before, but heard tales from fellow fishermen on how to go about it.

“Instinct kicked in,” he said.

“I’ve never done anything like this before, but I’ve been fishing long enough to know we needed to get the pups out as quickly as possible.”

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After slicing open the dead shark’s belly, he removed 98 live pups and tossed them into the sea.

Orlov reckons their chance of survival was high.

“They swam off quite healthily,” he said.

However, shark expert Jane Williamson, an Associate Professor from Macquarie University’s Department of Biological Sciences, can’t be sure.

“It is difficult to see what developmental stage the pups are at – I can’t tell if they are developed enough to cope alone,” she told Caters News.

“But I can see the pups don’t have a yolk sac, which is a good sign and indicates that they have a chance of survival.”

While the babies were given a second chance at life, Orlov later cooked the dead shark and fed it to his family.

“As a fisherman, I catch fish to eat,” he said.

“The meat from this shark fed lots of my family members.

“I love the ocean and respect they’re an important part of the ecosystem.”