ERIC WILLIAMS
STAFF WRITER
WOODS HOLE - In an event likely to make history among marine
researchers, a 15-foot great white shark was identified and tagged
with a tracking device in shallow waters off the northern Elizabeth
Islands yesterday.

http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/images/shark24.jpg
The fin of a great white shark breaks the surface yesterday during
an operation in which experts successfully tagged the animal with a
satellite-tracking device.

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Today the shark was in Salt Pond on Nashon Island, off Woods Hole,
and apparently having trouble finding its way out, according to Dan
McKiernan, assistant director of the state Division of Marine
Fisheries early Friday afternoon.

The shark's predicament was analyzed this morning by state fisheries
officials and a visiting Austrailian shark expert, among others on
their way to the pond, McKiernan said.

They will describe what they saw at a 2 p.m. press conference in
Woods Hole.

The shark has been in the area since at least Tuesday and may be
having difficulty navigating back to open ocean, said Massachusetts
Division of Marine Fisheries shark specialist Gregory Skomal.

Skomal tagged the shark at approximately 11 a.m. in the vicinity of
Hadley Harbor, near Naushon Island. He used a six-foot-long spear to
attach the device to the shark's dorsal fin.

Skomal said it was the first time a great white shark had been
tagged with a satellite device in the Atlantic Ocean.

"It's a spectacular animal," said Skomal. "The most impressive thing
is the girth. It probably weighs 2,000 pounds." Skomal said the
shark appeared to be healthy, and that he was uncertain of the sex
of the animal.

The shark has apparently spent several days in the somewhat enclosed
area framed by Woods Hole, Naushon Island, and two smaller islands,
Uncatena Island and Nonamesset Island.

Skomal said officials intend to monitor the shark's activities over
the next few days, hoping that it will be able to leave the area on
its own. "If it sticks around, we may try to figure a way to drive
the animal out of the area," he said. "Hopefully it won't come to
that."

Skomal said he had been besieged by media calls from around the
Northeast, and expressed concern that news of the shark would
inspire boaters to flood the area, potentially endangering the
shark. "We don't need two dozen boats down there," he said. "The
greatest danger is too much attention."

Sidling up to the predator was a thrill, said Skomal, who tagged the
15-foot shark from a 21-foot boat.

"When you're dealing with an animal of that size, you've got to be
careful, period," said Skomal. "It's not likely to do any harm, but
if something triggered it, watch out."

Skomal, the state's shark expert, sounded thrilled and tired last
night.

"I'm the first person to ever tag a white in the Atlantic," he
said. "I'm not bragging, I'm just exhilarated. It's a rare
opportunity."

According to the Web site greatwhite.org, the great white shark is
an apex predator, meaning that it is at the top of the food chain,
with no natural predators. Its prey includes fish, squid, dolphins,
whales, seals and sea lions. It is a federally protected species of
fish.

Roughly a dozen to 15 great white sharks annually migrate up and
down the East Coast as water temperatures rise and fall
because "they like 50-degree water," McKiernan said.

http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/greatwhite24.htm

Great white shark tagged off Elizabeth Islands
By Matt Pitta, Associated Press Writer | September 24, 2004


http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/A...66374_5962.jpg
FALMOUTH, Mass. -- Marine researchers tagged a 15-foot great white
shark off Cape Cod this week, the first time a great white has been
outfitted with a device that will store information about the
creature's travels.


The 1,700-pound female shark was first spotted Tuesday. Gregory
Skomal, a shark specialist with the Massachusetts Division of Marine
Fisheries, used a six-foot spear to attach the tag to the shark's
dorsal fin Thursday near Hadley Harbor, off Naushon Island.

The tag does not immediately transmit data about the shark's
whereabouts; rather, it archives information about the shark's
travels, and is programmed to pop off in April 2005, float to the
surface, and send its archived data all at once.

"We're not going to do anything. We're going to let nature take its
course," Skomal said.

People have been flocking to the area to catch a glimpse of the
shark as it circles in the shallow waters off Naushon. Skomal said
the animal appears healthy.

"There is no stress, no confusion, no erratic behavior. Nothing to
indicate this shark is bothered," he said.

The shark has apparently spent several days in the somewhat enclosed
area framed by Woods Hole, Naushon Island, and two smaller islands,
Uncatena and Nonamesset.

Scientists said the gathered data will provide a windfall of
information about the migrations of the great white shark.

"It's a very exciting event. We're not characterizing it at all as a
dangerous event for the shark," said Frank Almeida, deputy director
of the Northeast Science Center and the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration's office in Wood's Hole.

Great whites are common in the deeper waters south of Martha's
Vineyard, but they rarely venture so close to the mainland. In
recent years, a rebounding seal population has led to an increase in
sightings near Cape Cod, experts say.

"There's not a lot known about this species of shark in the world,
and especially in the Atlantic," said Nancy Kohler, a Narragansett,
R.I.-based biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service.

A great white was responsible for the last fatal shark attack in
Massachusetts, in 1936, when a child was killed while swimming in
Buzzards Bay near Mattapoisett.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/mas...abeth_islands/


Great White Shark Spotted Off Cape Cod
Coast Guard, Biologist Monitoring Activities

September 24, 2004

BOSTON -- A great white shark was spotted off the coast of
Massachusetts this week and was tagged by Woods Hole marine
biologists who want to know more about its activities.

"It's pretty unusual for this time of year, not a lot to eat around
so this is rare for such a large fish to be up here in such a small
body of water," said Corey Robinson of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Gail Huff Reports On Shark - Video
GREAT WHITE SHARK
Found in temperate oceans across the world.
Prey includes small harbor seals, sea lions, elephant seals, and
small-toothed whales.
They are known to attack, but not eat, humans.
More people killed in the U.S. each year by dogs than by white
sharks in the last 100 years.
Shark Description
http://www.greatwhite.org
Great White photos
http://www.oceanlight.com/html/great_white_shark.html

NewsCenter 5's Gail Huff reported that while swimmers wouldn't ever
want to meet one, Cape biologists were thrilled at the visit from
the shark, which was spotted off Naushon Island. They tagged it,
using a 6-foot spear to attach the tag to the shark's dorsal fin,
and will be able to gather information about its whereabouts and
lifestyle over a 6-month period.

"This species actually is a dangerous species of shark. It's one of
the top five most dangerous sharks in the world," Woods Hole marine
biologist Greg Skomal said. Skomal estimated the shark weighed about
2,000 pounds.

Pictures of the 17-foot shark were taken and the Coast Guard is
monitoring the shark's whereabouts, but has made no attempt to chase
it off shore or to interfere with its life.

"We saw him breach. He kind of came up out the water then dove back
in. It's hard to tell the size because the water's so murky down
there. We saw a tail. Pretty good size, judging by the tail. They
said he's been in there for three days now, and he's just kind of
doing his thing, so he can come and go as he pleases," said Justin
Yow of the U.S. Coast Guard.

The tag attached to the shark will send a signal picked up by
satelitte providing data about its whereabouts over the next 6
months. The biologists said they are hoping visitors stay away from
the area to avoid disturbing the animal. They said although the
great white sharks are common in the deeper water south of Martha's
Vineyard, they're rarely seen so close to shore. The sharks feed on
seals, however, and the scientists speculate that a growing seal
population has drawn the sharks closer to Cape Cod.

The last fatal shark attack in Massachusetts was in 1936 when a
great white attacked a child swimming in Buzzard's Bay near
Mattapoisett, Mass.

The United States and several other countries recently joined
together to support trade restrictions aimed at protecting great
whites, which are listed as an endangered species. The sharks can
grow to up 24-feet in length and are slow to breed. Hunters have
targeted them in the past and fishermen sometimes catch them in
nets. In Asia, where shark fin soup is popular, millions of the
sharks are killed each year for their meat.

The sharks were added to a list of 50 proposals submitted to the
United Nations' Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species, or CITES. The 166 nations that are part of the convention
will meeting in Thailand in October to review the worldwide list of
endangered species. The list aims to protect more than 5,000 species
of animals and more than 28,000 species of plants.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news...90/detail.html