Biologists To Resume Search For, Tagging Of Great White Sharks

September 7, 2009

Release from: James Vaznis
Boston Globe

State biologists plan to search again this morning for great white sharks off the shores of Chatham, where they believe several of the fish are lurking near the ocean floor - a discovery that has prompted swimming bans on the beaches there.

Greg Skomal, a state biologist leading the team, also issued a reminder yesterday to the public that great whites are a protected species under state and federal laws and cannot be fished.

“I don’t think it would be prudent to catch one,’’ Skomal said.

The great whites, one of the most powerful sharks in the world and inspiration for the movie “Jaws,’’ have been attracting the attention of onlookers since they were first spotted last week near Monomoy Island, off Chatham. Biologists believe the sharks are attracted to the region because the island is a prime seasonal resting spot for seals, one of the sharks’ staples.

Chatham officials have banned swimming indefinitely at four east-side beaches: Lighthouse, North, South, and Andrew Harding’s Lane.

Skomal’s team will depart by boat between 6 and 7 a.m. - if the weather is good - and continue with the mission it started Saturday of attaching electronic tracking devices to the sharks. The team has already tagged two great whites, and Skomal believes there are at least three more in the area.

The tracking devices will remain on the sharks until Jan. 15, when the tags are programmed to pop off, rise to the surface, and transmit the data that has been collected via satellite to Skomal. Until then, Skomal will not know whether the device is working properly.

“It’s a little bit of a nail biter,’’ he said yesterday. “Sometimes they don’t work. It’s a little disheartening.’’

The transmitted data should include the depth and temperature of water the shark has traveled in and offer clues into the migration patterns of the great whites. Skomal said he wanted the devices to detach in January so he could learn where the great whites spend the winter.

While it is not uncommon for great whites to be present off Chatham, their visibility is unusual because those sharks tend to stick near the ocean floor, but they are coming closer to the surface, presumably because of the seals.

Skomal said he did not know how long the great whites might stay.

“They are pretty mobile,’’ Skomal said. “It’s hard to tell if they will camp out in one area for a while or move on.’’