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Researchers examine a
great white shark that washed up on
Goosewing Beach in Little Compton earlier
this month.
The shark was estimated to be 13 feet long,
weight about 1,600 pounds
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By MICHAEL
LOMBARDI/ecoRI.org News contributor
Summers here in New
England bring a few things for shark lovers — summertime blues off the Rhode
Island coast, Discovery’s “Shark Week” and, in recent years, the great white,
making “Jaws” a reality.
With great white
sightings off Cape Cod making national news headlines in recent summers, I
often field inquiries about my own experiences with sharks while diving. In the
tropics, with clear water, sharks can be seen as a fairly common occurrence.
I’ve spent enough time there to encounter numerous species — reefs,
lemons, nurses, bulls and hammerheads. Each has its own unique set of behaviors,
and each interacts with humans just a little differently.
Now, of course, I’ve
spent far more time diving here in New England, and while I have seen sharks
here, it is a much rarer occurrence. Does this reflect the numbers in the local
population, or the fact that they are more difficult to see?
The population
consideration may be a factor, but the latter — visibility — quite
likely trumps the rest. In colder North Atlantic waters visibility through and
in the water can be limited due to turbidity and other environmental factors.
Frankly, if it’s dark, it is harder to see. The sharks are there — that is for
certain.
Recent excitement
about great white sightings around Cape Cod is indeed great press for our
toothy friends — ideally it will stay in a positive light. Better understanding
their movement patterns is critical in ensuring human safety. The ability to
observe these animals more frequently and closely is due to heightened
investments into overflights and improved camera technologies. They have indeed
been there right along at some scale.
These sharks are not
man-eaters, but they are indeed wild animals and very large predators. We must
exercise the same cautions that we would on a safari — observe from a distance,
and respect the animal in its natural habitat.
Don’t be afraid, but
use common sense and show respect for these creatures — as they are
critical for our own survival here on the Blue Planet. And remember not to fall
victim to the “seeing is believing” mantra. Just because these sharks are out
of sight, doesn’t mean they should be out of mind.