A carpet shark has been discovered living inside part of a desalination plant in Western Australia's South West.

It is believed the wobbegong entered through a two metre diameter pipeline during construction of the Southern Seawater plant near Bunbury.

The Water Corporation says the shark is thought to have been feeding on crustaceans inside the intake station for up to six months.

It was discovered by divers doing maintenance work.

The corporation's Clare Lugar says the shark is healthy and they are now trying to work out how to capture it.

"We're attempting to catch the shark at the moment using a net and we hope that we can remove it from the station in that way," she said.

"The size of it is still to be determined; these kind of carpet sharks can grow up to about three metres."

The Water Corporation says water quality has not been compromised.

The shark is trapped in the desalination plant's intake station which is marked with an X on the diagram. ( Water Corporation )



