Great white lingers; experts try to guard it from gawkers

http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/greatwhite25.htm ^ | 9/25/04 | ERIC GERSHON

[JulieRNR21]

"State environmental police have also been patrolling the Elizabeth Islands day and night to ward off sightseers attracted to the spectacular scene near Naushon Island, which is private land owned by relatives of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John F. Kerry."

Could the Great White be looking for a certain windsurfer???..................LOL

[JulieRNR21]

Do you have the graphic of the Swift Vets' 'Jaws' tailing a certain windsurfer?

[Guillermo]

The great white shark was seen swimming back and forth yesterday near the shadows of trees along an estuary adjacent to Naushon Island.

[JulieRNR21]

Great white sharks

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Where do they live? Coastal and offshore waters along the continental shelf and islands. On the East Coast of North America they range from Newfoundland and Gulf of St. Lawrence down into the Gulf of Mexico. Not a common sight anywhere in that range.
How big do they get? The largest great white discovered was 2,664 pounds, caught off Ceduna, S. Australia in 1959. There have been reports of a 25-foot great white, with a 21-footer being the longest ever caught. Average size is around 15 feet.

Are they in local waters? Experts estimate as many as a dozen may migrate into New England waters in summer. Some may also live here year round in offshore waters. By comparison, around 100 are estimated to inhabit California waters.

Do great whites eat people? Juveniles feed mostly on fish. They switch to marine mammals when they reach 10 to 12 feet or around 1,000 pounds. But shark hysteria has spread over the years, particularly after Peter Benchley's novel "Jaws" was made into a movie.

How do they hunt? When hunting seals, sharks swim along the bottom with their darker upper body blending in with rocks or vegetation. Picking out a seal, they swim swiftly upward and ram into it, stunning it. With one bite, they take out a chunk of flesh then leave the dying animal to bleed to death, then return for a more leisurely meal.

Are they dangerous? Records kept since 1580 show 231 attacks worldwide by great whites. The tiger shark is second with 67. The last great white shark attack in New England waters happened in Buzzards Bay in 1936.

Sources: The Shark Almanac and NOAA Fisheries Guide to Sharks, Tunas & Billfishes of the U.S. Atlantic & Gulf of Mexico.

[Jaysun]

That thing looks huge! Everyone knows that great whites chomp into boats, eat people, and things of that nature. They need to kill it.

[Mr. Lucky]

Does anyone else note the irony of the Massachusetts state legislature passing an emergency law to save the life of a female white shark the same week that the Florida Supreme Court ruled that the Florida legislature could not pass an emergency law saving the life of a young woman?

[JulieRNR21]

Great White lingers in area near where Kerry windsurfs......LOL.....PING

[Pelayo]

Chief Brody where are you?

[prion]

Anxious to guard the 14-foot, 1,700-pound female shark from gawkers

Gawkers? Why, are sharks shy? I suspect the sentence should be reworded, "Anxious to guard the 14-foot, 1,700-pound female shark from ordinary citizens who are interested in her, environmental scientists once again asserted their ownership of the entirety of nature."

[ElkGroveDan]

isn't it the liberals who are always saying: "If we could save just one life, wouldn't it be worth it?"

These damn things are man eaters. They aren't endangered. They need to kill it, period. We might save a swimmer's life down the road.

[Kenny500c]

Kill it and give the steaks to a homeless shelter.

[snooker]

But did they forbid a great white from taking a gawker?

[Domestic Church]

It goes well beyond irony into tragedy.

[JulieRNR21]

Does anyone else note the irony of the Massachusetts state legislature passing an emergency law to save the life of a female white shark the same week that the Florida Supreme Court ruled that the Florida legislature could not pass an emergency law saving the life of a young woman?

Yes....doesn't it make you angry & sad....when animal life is valued more than human life?

I've also noted that many of the most ardent animal rights supporters are also very pro-abortion.

[nothingnew]

"You need a bigger boat".

FMCDH(BITS)

[Diddle E. Squat]

More populous in the Pacific Ocean near South Africa

I guess the Cape Cod papers are so PC that they no longer can use the name "Indian Ocean"?

[JulieRNR21]

I guess the Cape Cod papers are so PC that they no longer can use the name "Indian Ocean"?

Exactly....they might offend the the 'original Americans' as some call themselves.

[frithguild]

[Jaysun]

Kill it and give the steaks to a homeless shelter.

Only the steaks though - not the valuable fins. We'll sell those to the Japanese.

[Richard Kimball]

It sounds to me like the "scientists" are bothering the shark more than the sight seers. They've stuck it with a tag, followed it around in a boat, and tried to herd it out to sea. While I understand concerns about fishermen, and this is private land belonging to relatives of Lord Kerry, I fail to see how people standing on the bank to see a shark pose any danger to it.

Of course, it is private property, and the Kerries have every right to keep people out. Who needs a lawsuit because some moron tried to get a picture of his ten year old son sitting on a shark's back?