Shark victim speaks to hubby

SHARK attack victim Justine Barwick has spoken to her husband Craig for the first time after she was mauled in the Whitsundays.

Authorities have now caught six sharks at Cid Harbour in response to the attack on Ms Barwick on Wednesday and Melbourne schoolgirl Hannah Papps, 12, less than 24 hours later.

Ms Papps was yesterday in a serious but stable condition in Queensland Children’s Hospital after being listed as critical a day earlier.

Ms Barwick, from Tasmania, has undergone surgery to her leg and is in a stable condition in the intensive care unit of Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.

Mr Barwick yesterday said he had spoken to his wife for the first time since she was winched into the RACQ Central Queensland rescue helicopter and airlifted to hospital after the attack.

“In typical Justine fashion her first words to me were ‘sorry I have caused so much trouble’ and she is asking after the welfare of family and friends,” Mr Barwick said.

Fisheries confirmed a 3.7m tiger shark and a 1.2m black tip shark were caught on a drumline at Cid Harbour yesterday.

They were killed, taking the total number of sharks caught on the drumlines to six.

“The message is these waters are not safe for swimming,” the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries said in a statement.

Mr Barwick said the “reaction by the Queensland Government setting drum lines and culling sharks is understandable and in some ways I appreciate it.”

“However, we have to understand that while there have been two attacks in rapid succession, shark attacks are rare and sharks play an important role in the ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef.”