Juvenile Great White sharks love Australian salmon

A GREAT white shark surfs off a New South Wales beach - one of many attracted by record numbers of salmon in the area.

While claimed sightings off the coast of Cornwall now appear to be hoaxes, the killers of the deep are a familiar sight in the waters north of Sydney.

The shark pictured is a juvenile great white, a tiddler compared with the adult of the species made famous by the film Jaws.

Salmon is a primary food source for juvenile great white sharks, which travel more than 600 miles to feeding locations.

Fisherman say the numbers of Australian salmon, a native fish not known for its culinary value, have soared.

Shark expert Andrew Fox explained: "It's like stopping in a cafe where there is good food and then going on your way.

"It's the same for the sharks.

"Great white sharks at Port Stephens have been a phenomenon for the past couple of years because of the salmon.

"But it's not in plague proportions - thousands travel up and down the coast at any one time."