Albino Whales In The News (Whale Shark and Southern Right Whales)
August 30, 2008
There were two interesting albino whale sightings in the news this week. Actually, we should correct that statement and set it straight as the whale shark is not actually a whale, but a fish - the world’s largest fish. The other creature was indeed a whale - an albino Southern Right Whale.
Both creatures are believed to be white because of a lack of pigmentation in their skin but they are expected to gradually turn to a darker colour as the years go by.
Whale Sharks, according to the Whale Shark Project website, have a circumglobal distribution in tropical and warm temperate seas and are typically found in areas of high plankton productivity. They are present mainly between latitudes 30° N and 35° S, but have been sighted as far North as New York on the US East coast and as far South as Tasmania. (Note: I couldn’t document or verify any whale shark sightings in New England waters ~ Mark Bransfield)
Do you know the name of the second largest fish in the world? It is the basking shark, a plankton eating, filter-feeding shark that is often seen in the coastal waters of New England.
Porbeagle Shark Breeding Ground On Georges Bank
July 21, 2008
A post on Canadian Broadcasting Center Online reports that scientists have discovered a new breeding ground for porbeagle sharks off Canada’s East Coast on the Candian portion of Georges Bank.
A research team located the mating area on Georges Bank earlier this month after hearing reports from fishermen that they were hauling up the large, blue-grey sharks in their nets. Steve Campana, a marine biologist who specializes in the species, said the find makes it only the second known breeding ground in the Northwest Atlantic for the fast, fierce-looking shark that can reach almost four metres in length.
Until now, scientists knew of only one breeding ground for porbeagles off Newfoundland and Labrador’s southern coast. The area was closed to directed shark fishing shortly after it was identified as a mating area.Campana said Fisheries managers are now reviewing the latest find to determine whether the area should be closed to shark fishing to stave off another collapse in the population.
The porbeagle fishery is worth an estimated $2 million annually on the East Coast, with 90 per cent of it going to markets in Boston.
To read the complete post, visit the following link:
Young 6-Ft. Long Female Great White Shark Washes Ashore on Nantucket
July 15, 2008
The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries confirmed that the 6 to 7-foot long shark that washed ashore on a beach on Nantucket yesterday (Monday, July 14th) was a young female great white shark.
The shark washed ashore on a beach off Sheep Pond Road Monday and was discovered by several children on the beach.
Here are two links to follow for more information about the story:
- Shark Washes Up Off Sheep Pond Road, byBy Jason Graziadei,
Nantucket Inquirer & Mirror, July 14, 2008. This article has photographs of the shark.
Great White Shark Sighted Off Vineyard Beach
July 11, 2008
It is believed that the increasing population of seals year-round in the waters off Martha’s Vineyard is the primary reason for the increased number of shark sighting in the past few years.
Mark Alan Lovewell of the Vineyard Gazette has a report on this most recent sighting. To read it online, visit the following link:
Article: Swimmers Sent Out of Sea Following Shark Sighting By Mark Alan Lovewell, Vineyard Gazette
So far we haven’t heard of any recent great white sightings in the waters off of Greater Newburyport, including the North Shore and the New Hampshire seacoast.
Seal Attacked Off Monomoy Island
July 1, 2008
Monomoy Island National Wildlife Refuge is home to hundreds of seals and also a favored feeding ground for several species of sharks including the great white, mako, and thresher.
Capt. Littlefield estinmated that the seal that was attacked weighed 300 to 400 pounds and that the shark was between 14 and 16 feet in length. He believes that it was a great white shark.
There have been great white shark sightings in the Monomoy Island area over the past few years as the seal population has steadily increased.
A similar explosion in seal populations off the California and Mexico coastlines has resulted in many more observed shark attacks on the Pacific coastline. Unfortunately the California and Mexico coastal waters are shared by both seals and surfers.
This year at least three surfers and swimmers have been killed by sharks in the waters off the coast of California and Mexico.
Here is a link to the article by K.C. Myers that appeared on CapeCodOnline.com about the shark attack off Monomoy Island.
Great White Shark Seen in Vineyard Waters
June 6, 2008
Mark Alan Lovewell has an interesting article in the current issue of the Vineyard Gazette (Friday, June 2, 2008) reporting that two charter fishing captains have reported seeing a great white shark in Vineyard waters during the past week.
Last Wednesday evening a great white shark was seen approximately 50 feet off the Menemsha beach. And last Sunday afternoon at about 4:30 p.m., a great white shark was seen by a charter captain in the waters off of Gay Head. The great white shark breached (came out of the water) three times near the captain’s boat.
Estimates of the size of the shark were in the 15 to 19 foot range with a weight of 3,000 to 4,000 pounds. The shark also was described as having a wide girth. This is a good size great white shark.
The growing seal population in the waters off the Vineyard may be the reason for the sightings of great whites in the area. A large shark was also observed close to shore last August off the Katama region of the Vineyard.
Mr. Lovewell’s article is well written, informative, and well worth reading. He provides a lot of interesting facts and details. It is not your typical stay out of the water “shark” article, but it does make you realize that there are sharks in the waters off our coastline and that you must use common sense, especially if you are surfing in waters inhabited by seals.
Article: Two Island Charter Captains Report a Great White Shark
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