Young white shark found on P.E.I. park beach may have starved to death | 24CA News

A shark does not wash up on a Prince Edward Island shoreline on daily basis, however scientists say finds just like the one made this week have gotten extra frequent.

Flo Durelle was visiting the Island from Dieppe, N.B., with household and associates. On Monday, she seen some commotion as she walked alongside the seashore at Greenwich, part of P.E.I. National Park that is situated simply north of St. Peter’s Bay.

“Honest to goodness, I couldn’t believe it. At the time, we didn’t even know if it was alive or dead because the waves were swishing it around so much,” Durelle mentioned.

“I was hoping to find sea glass, driftwood — but not a shark.”

Parks Canada officers despatched 24CA News a press release on Tuesday confirming a 2.6-metre “juvenile great white shark” had been discovered at Greenwich and despatched to the Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown for a necropsy.

“The Atlantic white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) is listed as endangered under Schedule 1 of the Canadian Species at Risk Act,” the assertion mentioned. “These sharks have always been present in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, though it is historically rare for these sharks to wash up on the shores of P.E.I. National Park.”

The Greenwich incident is simply the most recent in a collection of encounters with white sharks throughout Atlantic Canada in recent times.

Dead white sharks have been noticed on different seashores within the area, and anecdotally, fishers say they’re seeing extra stay sharks as effectively — together with some in P.E.I. waters.

Experts say shark encounters have gotten extra frequent as populations rebound as a result of protecting measures in Canada and the U.S., and because the variety of gray seals within the Northwest Atlantic Ocean booms.

“[The shark] population is rebounding incredibly,” mentioned Steve Crawford, affiliate professor on the University of Guelph’s division of integrative biology. “People are going to hear about and see more white sharks this year — and for the foreseeable number of years — than ever before.”

Shark probably starved

Crawford mentioned the rationale sharks are more and more washing up on Atlantic shores is a thriller, however it’s potential youthful white sharks might not be discovering sufficient meals once they make their migration north.

“They feed on predominantly fish when they’re younger and they make a transition to larger fish like tuna or marine mammals up in Atlantic Canada,” he mentioned.

“If the grey seals are too big for them to tackle and they can’t find smaller marine mammals to feed on, it’s possible these juveniles are running into starvation issues here.”

The sharks often migrate again south in September and October, Crawford mentioned.

He mentioned there needs to be extra signage on Atlantic seashores informing those who numerous sorts of sharks do really come to the area, and stressing that being “shark-smart” is essential.

Sharks are a pure and essential a part of the ecosystem and public security issues are minimal.— Parks Canada

“There’s a lot of visitors that come to the beaches, they have no ideas white sharks come here seasonally,” he mentioned.

Parks Canada mentioned in its assertion that whereas it is conscious the presence of white sharks may cause nervousness, guests ought to know the chance of a shark encounter is low.

“Sharks are a natural and important part of the ecosystem and public safety concerns are minimal,” officers mentioned. 

Mysterious creatures

Crawford is engaged on a analysis mission wanting into what Indigenous and different native knowledge-keepers throughout the Northwest Atlantic learn about nice white sharks that scientists could not.

He mentioned he hopes his analysis sheds gentle on the animal’s courtship and mating territories, that are nonetheless poorly understood.

Meanwhile, he mentioned his conversations could have yielded perception on another behaviours.

“Fishermen have started thinking that perhaps the white sharks, rather than chasing the tuna themselves… are pretty clever and now they’re chasing the tuna fishery,” Crawford mentioned.

“They figure [that] somehow the sharks have figured that if they follow that boat, there’s a good chance that there’s a tuna that will be behind it that could be an easy meal.”