Oceanic Whitetip Shark Found in Swedish Waters

October 6, 2004

Release from: Charlott Stenberg
Florida Museum of Natural History Exclusive

The shark was seen swimming around on Wednesday the 29th of September 2004, by military divers practicing outside their base in Skredsvik, The Gullmar fjord, Sweden. The next day it was found dead on the beach. The National Boards of Fisheries (where I work, but in Gothenburg) was contacted and a biologist from our lab in Lysekil went to see the shark. She couldn't identify it, so she phoned me. Over the phone I couldn't get any good idea of the look of the shark. It wasn't until I caught a glimpse of it on tv later that night, that I started to suspect that it was indeed an oceanic whitetip. On Friday I could confirm that it was an oceanic whitetip, a sexually mature male, 2.3 m 65.5 kg.

Oceanic whitetip shark with author Charlott Stenberg