Recent shark deaths in Canada a sign that efforts to grow the population are working
Four great white sharks were found washed up along beaches in Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Quebec in the past 12 months, said John Chisholm from the New England Aquarium, in Boston, Mass. That number is higher than previous years, he said in an interview Thursday.Great white sharks have been protected in Canada since the late 2000s and the United States since the mid-1990s, Chisholm said, adding that those conservation efforts may be leading to a population growth.
“There were no signs of significant injuries, no signs of trauma and no evidence of fishing entanglement,” Apryl Munro, spokeswoman for the veterinary college, said in an email. The shark's carcass, she added, was “very fresh,” allowing pathologists to determine that its liver was in good condition and that the animal was well fed. Samples were taken for research and to help determine the final cause of death.
Tonya Wimmer, executive director of Marine Animal Response Society, said, “it is a bit concerning” that four great white sharks were found dead in 12 months. “The white sharks seem to be all over, frankly.” Chisholm said his great-great grandfather caught two great white sharks in a mackerel net while fishing in Georgetown, P.E.I., in September 1921. “So I've always known they've been there since I was a little kid.”
Chisholm said another factor that could be leading to an increase in shark numbers in Canadian waters is the ocean temperature. They can tolerate a wide range of water temperatures but the temperatures here of around 15 C are particularly well-suited, he said. A study published in June 2022 in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences said tagging and monitoring indicates that great white sharks are more abundant in Canadian waters than previously assumed from historical sightings and capture data.
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