Brothers James and Mark Foy, were fishing in a small boat three kilometres down-stream from the Hinton Bridge when James reeled in the small ­predator about 3pm.

James said the shark was about 60 centimetres long.

“We were fishing with prawns trying to catch jewfish,” he said.

“It [the shark] didn’t fight much. I grabbed him by the tail and he swung around to try to bite me. He didn’t get me but he bit through the line.

“I’ve never seen a shark this far up the river.”

James and Mark, an experienced game fisherman, took some photos of the shark before returning it to the river, unharmed.

“These fish are rarely seen [in the river] or for that matter caught but it does prove they inhabit the river system,” Mark said. 

Australian Ray and Shark Centre, in Nelson Bay, marine biologist and head fish keeper Ryan Pereira said it was ­common for bull sharks to ­venture up river when food was scarce in their regular ­environments.

Mr Pereira said while the shark caught at Hinton was young, it was not likely a larger shark was nearby because bull sharks could not give birth in fresh water and they did not hunt in packs.

“It would be abnormal for a group of bull sharks to travel up river together. 

“The likelihood of an attack up river is quite slim,” he said.

“The water is murky and most people tend to be in boats and sharks don’t like boats. 

“If there was an attack it would be a mistake by the shark because the water was murky.”

Mr Pereira said bull sharks were generally between two and three metres long and were quite mellow unless they were ­feeding.

“Once food is in the water they become quite aggressive.

“Every estuary would have bull sharks, but they are one of the few species to swim up river.

“But they are a very important apex predator in the ecosystem.”