These images show sardine fishermen trying to return 17 sharks back to the sea after catching them in their nets, leading to one of them being bitten.

The incident took place in Port Edward, on the KwaZulu-Natal coast in South Africa on Saturday, 31st May.

Video footage filmed by locals shows the large sharks thrashing around on the ground amid the catch of sardines as the fishermen try to drag them back into the water.

One fisherman can be seen placing a rope around a shark's mouth in a bid to haul it back into the water.

Local media reports said that there had been a lot of activity in the water after scores of sardines were spotted, with boats netting the fish in dangerous conditions.

One of the boats even reportedly got its net caught in the propeller and needed rescuing by other vessels.

Fishermen drag sharks from nets at Port Edward Beach in KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, undated. The men were fishing for sardines. Note: Photo is a screenshot from a video(CEN)

And it appears that the humans were not the only ones after the tasty sardines, with the sharks being pulled out of the water along with the smaller fish.

They were reportedly bronze whalers, also known as copper sharks (Carcharhinus brachyurus), according to South African media.

Fishermen drag sharks from nets at Port Edward Beach in KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, undated. The men were fishing for sardines. Note: Photo is a screenshot from a video(CEN)

They are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

One of the fishermen was reportedly bitten but it was not serious and they were treated for the injury. There were no other details regarding the injury.

(Joseph Golder / newsX)