The Mackay region had more than double the number of sharks caught last year than almost every other region.

The Mackay region had more than double the number of sharks caught last year than almost every other region. Contributed

WHILE shark attacks in the Mackay region are as rare as hen's teeth the number of sharks being caught off the coast is the second-highest in Queensland.

State Government data released this week reveals the Mackay region large shark catch was almost double that of every other region.

The data comes just weeks after Discovery Channel ran its famous Shark Week.

In 2016-17 there were 43 sharks at least two metres long caught in the region, just five fewer than Townsville, which had 48.

These numbers dwarf the other regions. Gold Coast, Point Lookout, Rainbow Beach, Bundaberg, Tannum Sands, Capricorn Coast and Cairns all had between five and 20 large sharks caught.

Mackay's total of 43 is, however, a lot lower than previous years.

In 2012-13 there were 83 large sharks caught off the Mackay coast, 101 the following year, 83 again in 2014-15 and 71 in 2015-16.

The State Government doesn't just catch large sharks over 2m long, it also hooks small sharks.

Last financial year 11 small sharks were caught off the Mackay coast, compared to 61 off the Townsville coast.

In comparison, while Tannum Sands and Bundaberg had only five and eight large sharks caught, respectively, they had 43 and 37 small sharks.

TOTAL CATCH

2011-12 - 714

2012-13 - 713

2013-14 - 667

2014-15 - 639

2015-16 - 647

2016-17 - 489