Three Vineyard fishermen had a real-life Jaws moment on Friday morning when they encountered a great white shark circling a dead minke whale that had become tangled in lobster line in the area known as Devil’s Bridge off Aquinnah.
Jeff Lynch of Chilmark was out fishing with his friends Will Farrissey and Mike Capin, both of Oak Bluffs, when they found the 17-foot whale. Mr. Lynch notified the Coast Guard, who then notified the state environmental police, who later came to collect the whale and take it to Woods Hole for study. The three men had gone out early in the morning to fish for mackerel, which they had planned to use for shark bait later in the summer.
Mr. Lynch described the experience of watching the 20-foot shark, nearly the size of their 23-foot boat Scup Bucket, as it hovered around the dead whale.
“The shark wasn’t that interested in the whale. It just kept nudging the whale,” Mr. Lynch said. “It wasn’t aggressive. It kept coming over to me. For half an hour to 45 minutes it was following us around. It was so big. It was incredible, the size of its girth, not like any other big fish.”
Mr. Lynch also contacted Greg Skomal, the state shark expert.
State environmental police Sgt. Matt Bass was dispatched to recover the whale; he arrived on the scene at about 11 a.m. and towed it to Woods Hole. Sergeant Bass said he had two whale experts from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on board.
Mr. Bass said they brought the whale alongside the oceanographic dock at about 2:30 p.m., and were met by whale experts from the Cape Cod Stranding Network, a group affiliated with the International Fund for Animal Welfare. They planned to do a necropsy to establish the cause of death.
Reached by telephone Friday, Mr. Skomal said when it became apparent that the whale was being towed to Woods Hole, there was no longer any reason for him to make the trip to Aquinnah to look for the shark. The shark was likely only in the area because of the dead carcass, he said.
“What was surprising to me was that the great white shark was in that area this early in the season. They usually don’t show up until June,” Mr. Skomal said.
This article appears in May 6, 2011.
It’s not fair that the Great White shark is so much bigger and aggressive than other animals that live in the ocean. We should immediately levy a tax on all Great Whites based on size and its superior ability to more effectively catch prey. It’s unconscionable that Great Whites should be able to eat as much as they do and always get their prey when 99% of the fish in the ocean are relegated to eating the leftovers. Despite the fact that the shark has superior abilities, natural tools, and aggressiveness, it should be forced to give up more than half of its food to the rest of its oceangoing peers.
The Greatest White Shark Story Ever Told! “My Friend Michale” a true story about the Real Jaws.
www.therealjaws.com