Great White Shark Sightings Off Taxachusetts & Long Island

[trysail]

Great White Shark Warning Issued for Massachusetts Holiday
By Brian K. Sullivan

http://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/yipes-great-white-shark-south-australia-pictures-underwater-photos.jpg?w=640&h=480​

July 2 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Coast Guard in Boston has a message for July Fourth holiday boaters in the seas off Massachusetts: Don’t become lunch.

A 7-foot great white was spotted last week near the Stellwagen Bank national marine sanctuary, according to statement issued by the Coast Guard today. In the past few years, sightings have been reported of sharks ranging from 6 to 15 feet, easily big enough to capsize a small boat or kayak.

“Predation is not generally a concern for boaters and paddlers in the Northeast waters,” said Al Johnson, the 1st Coast Guard District’s recreational boating specialist. “But I have no doubt that a great white shark that swims into your comfort zone would surely find a splashing paddle or dangling hand inviting.”

Great white sightings have been increasing in the waters off Cape Cod in part because of a growing seal colony at Chatham, about 80 miles south of Boston, said Greg Skomal, the state’s shark expert at the Division of Marine Fisheries.

In 2004, a 1,750-pound great white swam into an inlet off Naushon Island, and in August 2007, the predators were blamed for a number of seal deaths near Chatham.

However, shark numbers rose in 2009. Skomal said officials tagged five and confirmed sightings of at least four others, and said the sharks may be back in those numbers this year.

Car-Sized Fish
Great whites, on average, grow to 12 to 16 feet in length and can weigh 2,500 pounds. For comparison, a Honda Insight is about 14.3 feet long and weighs about 2,723 pounds, according to Edmunds Inc., an automotive information company.

The sharks have been known to grow to more than 20 feet and weigh more than two tons.

Skomal said the sharks now visiting Massachusetts had migrated to the waters off Georgia and Florida during the winter months.

“Sharks spend 75 percent of their time in waters between 59 and 67 degrees,” Skomal said. “That’s a pretty slim temperature range that they clearly wanted to be in.”

The waters around Cape Cod are in the 59 to 65 degree range, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration charts.

Sharks have been identified with Cape Cod since 1975, when Steve Spielberg used Martha’s Vineyard as the setting for his movie of Peter Benchley’s novel “Jaws.” New York’s Long Island was the fictional setting of the book.

Montauk Sighting
Like Cape Cod, Long Island has also seen a great white this year. On June 18, a 300- to 400-pound great white was landed at Montauk and seized by officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration because catching the animals is prohibited, according to Lesli Bales-Sherrod, a spokeswoman for the agency.

Johnson said people should stay away from seals while boating.

“Simply put, why take a chance?” Johnson said.

A passing shark, Johnson said “would spend little time differentiating between boater, paddler and prey.”

http://noir.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601110&sid=aisO8y_Ln2Qs

 

[SeaCat]

Heh,

I kind of have to wonder why they posted this warning.

Having grown up on Cape Cod I have seen my share of sharks including Great Whites. They are a yearly presence just as the tourists are and like the tourists you deal with them by avoidance.

Cat

 

[cloudy]

7-footer? Is that all?

I just about learned to swim in the Pacific, right along with the Harbor Seals, and the great whites that count those seals among their favorite meals. You couldn't keep me out of the water every summer, and we lived close enough to the beach that before I could drive, I rode my bike down there every day.

They're scary enough, but most of the time they leave you alone. You don't even know they're there.

 

[marriedpervs]

I'm with Cloudy!!! I live in Australia, and our Great Whites don't even bother coming near humans until they get to 15 or 16 feet!!

We lose 4-6 swimmers every year to great whites, and usually they disappear without a trace because the sharks are so damn big they just chomp a few times then swallow a human whole.......

 

[trysail]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-30/shark-chase-blood-thirsty-tourists-frazzle-town.html


Shark Chase, Blood-Thirsty Tourists Jolt Town

By Laura Keeley
Jun 30, 2011

The great white sharks swimming off the waters of Chatham, Massachusetts, are boosting its economy by luring more tourists. Now the Cape Cod town is wondering whether being so popular will have a bite.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/data?pid=avimage&iid=iV7G9QrIyXjw http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/data?pid=avimage&iid=ipXtUnO6WGgw http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/data?pid=avimage&iid=iWzoJROxr2XI


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As the Fourth of July weekend kicks off the summer vacation season, Chatham is the best place on the cape to view the predators, according to Greg Skomal, shark expert at the state’s Division of Marine Fisheries. The several thousand gray seals dwelling in the area are shark prey, he said.

“The seal population has reached some critical level that the likelihood of seeing a white shark now has increased,” Skomal said.

Shops and restaurants profited last summer as busloads of visitors detoured to the town in pursuit of shark sightings, resulting in constant traffic jams, said Lisa Franz, executive director of the Chatham Chamber of Commerce. This year, with at least two film crews visiting, some residents are bracing for unwelcome attention.

“We wanted to be known as a nice, quiet, laid-back community,” said Mike Ambriscoe, fire chief of the town, 75 miles southeast of Boston. “We’ve been having this problem where sharks have been visiting us. It certainly does put you in the limelight.”

In the past two summers, state experts have tagged 13 great white sharks and confirmed the sighting of at least four others. The U.S. Coast Guard issued a shark warning last year on July 2. This year, fishermen in Martha’s Vineyard, 60 miles away, spotted a great white on May 6.

Shark Circus
News of the sightings brought about 5,000 day-trippers into town each month last summer, said Tim Roper, a selectman.

“Folks show up and ask, ‘What’s the best place to see the sharks?’ or ‘What time do they start eating the seals?’ as if it were a circus act,” Roper said.

Great whites can exceed 20 feet in length and weigh more than 2 tons, according to the Marine Division’s website. In comparison, a Honda Insight compact car is about 14.3 feet long and weighs about 2,700 pounds, according to Edmunds Inc., an automotive information company.

Skomal said people aren’t at risk of being attacked by sharks on Chatham’s beaches as long as they visit ones away from the seals that draw the predators.

“The first year this all happened, I was really nervous about it and would say to others, don’t talk about it, we don’t want shark merchandise,” Franz said. “The second year, I embraced it. The third year, come on down, we’ll have a shark statue for you.”

More Sightseers
The shark buzz and favorable weather boosted revenue by about 20 percent for Beachcomber Boat Tours, which ferries tourists to where the seals gather at Monomoy Island, said Paula St. Pierre, owner. Chatham’s population is 6,579 most of the year, swelling to about 25,000 in July and August, according to the town website.

Chatham didn’t have as many gray seals to attract sharks before the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972 made it illegal to kill them and the population began to rebound. Federal authorities are investigating the fatal shootings of six seals in the area this year, said Michael Booth, spokesman for the International Fund for Animal Wildlife. Skomal said fishermen tend not to like the seals, which they blame for eating all their catch and driving away other fish.

“People are more interested in sharks than ever,” St. Pierre said. “They have fantasies that they’re going to see something like a National Geographic show.”

Customer Expectations
No customer has witnessed a shark attack a seal in her 12 years of operating boat tours.

“I just don’t want anyone to have any fantasies when they go on the boat that they’re going to see a seal island attacked with a shark jumping out of the water,” she said. “Who wants to see that anyway? I don’t want to see that.”

Sharks have been identified with Cape Cod since 1975, when Steven Spielberg used Martha’s Vineyard as the setting for his movie of Peter Benchley’s novel “Jaws.” The book was set in New York’s Long Island.

Celine Cousteau, granddaughter of the late sea explorer Jacques Cousteau, plans to spend weeks in town with a crew gathering material for a documentary, “The White Sharks of Chatham,” said Michael LeFort, co-producer. A team from the Discovery Channel already came to film a documentary for its Shark Week programming, Franz said.

Scientists don’t have much historical information on the activities of great whites in the Atlantic, LeFort said.

“Everyone has an opinion on both sides,” he said about the town’s reaction to the sharks. “I can tell you that there’s more fear than celebration.”

more...
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-30/shark-chase-blood-thirsty-tourists-frazzle-town.html

 

[Zeb_Carter]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-30/shark-chase-blood-thirsty-tourists-frazzle-town.html


Shark Chase, Blood-Thirsty Tourists Jolt Town

By Laura Keeley
Jun 30, 2011

Didn't they make a movie about this? I know it sounds so familiar...yeah, it starred Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Schneider. It was called...now don't tell me...I'll get it in a second...that's it...Jaws.

 

[PennLady]

Didn't they make a movie about this? I know it sounds so familiar...yeah, it starred Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Schneider. It was called...now don't tell me...I'll get it in a second...that's it...Jaws.

But before that, a great white shark was busy along the Jersey shore and even found its way inland via river. That was 1916. I recommend Close to Shore, which tells this story and provided the inspiration for Jaws.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

But before that, a great white shark was busy along the Jersey shore and even found its way inland via river. That was 1916. I recommend Close to Shore, which tells this story and provided the inspiration for Jaws.

I probably should have put a pair of these at the end of my post , I meant it as a joke.

 

[Stella_Omega]

The town is gonna need a bigger boat...

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Free divers in SoCal show the Grey Gentleman much respect but when the Humboldt squid show up, they get out of the water!

 

[ishtat]

But before that, a great white shark was busy along the Jersey shore and even found its way inland via river. That was 1916. I recommend Close to Shore, which tells this story and provided the inspiration for Jaws.

90% of shark attacks on the Australian east coast occur in water less than 15 inches deep, typically when they get lost, in estuaries and harbours. Ocean beaches are much safer.

For some reason though, Spencer Gulf in South Australia is the area where most fatal attacks on humans occur, particularly by great whites.

Despite Australia's reputation as the home of big bities, we lose more people to bee stings than Sharks, Croc's and Snakes combined.

 

[TE999]

In my neck of the ocean the locals are a lot more concerned with barracudas than sharks. They're not called the 'Tiger of the Sea' for nothing. They're quick as thought, have a mouthful of razor sharp, fanged teeth and if they see anything that flashes white, shines or glitters, they'll strike at it. Like sharks, they're attracted to blood and/or splashing in the water. The young swim in schools, but the adults are solitary.

Enjoy the beach.

 

[sereneone4u]

First movie I saw on coming back to the states from Germany was Jaws. I think I was eight. I mostly stick to swimming pools and I am a Florida gal.

They should put out a 3-D IMAX theater remake...

 

[kromen]

This happened in 2004 at Martha's Vineyard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5UKXjU1qQE&NR=1

 

[sereneone4u]

This happened in 2004 at Martha's Vineyard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5UKXjU1qQE&NR=1

EEEKKK! I just jumped on top my bed like it was an island and my carpet was water...

Back on topic-sorry