An appeal has gone out to fishermen to monitor their nets after a snorkeller discovered several dead catsharks ensnared in an abandoned ‘ghost net.’

Sam Provstgaard Morys was in the water off Rame Head last weekend when he made the gruesome find.

The catsharks (also known as dogfish) were likely to have been egg laying females, said Claire Wallerstein of Rame Peninsula Beach Care (RPBC).

While unable to help the catsharks, Sam was able to release a crab that had also become caught, and he then removed the netting from the water.