3 great whites are ID’d off coast (BREAKING: Really big fish found in the ocean)

Boston.com ^ | 9/06/09 | Meghan E. Irons

[Libloather]

3 great whites are ID’d off coast
Tags put on 2 sharks; some beaches closed
By Meghan E. Irons
Globe Staff / September 6, 2009

The fisherman had just one shot to mark the great white.

Captain Bill Chaprales walked to the front of his 22-foot harpoon vessel, raised the 12-foot-long tagging pole, and threw it purposefully onto the back side of the enormous shark, which was 4 to 5 feet below the surface.

Tagged.

“He did it in one shot,’’ said state biologist Greg Skomal, whose team tagged two great whites yesterday. “We don’t swing the bat unless it’s a strike. It’s got to be a perfect shot.’’

As Chatham officials announced they were closing all of the town’s East Side beaches, state marine biologists were pulling off the high-tech accomplishment out on the ocean.

The first shark was tagged at 9 a.m. near the southern tip of Monomoy Island, off Chatham. A second was tagged at 3:30 p.m. about a mile north of the first - each with a single move. A third was also spotted but not tagged.

“They were right around a 1,000 pounds apiece,’’ said Chaprales, a 58-year-old tuna fisherman and lobsterman from Marstons Mills, a village in Barnstable.

Chaprales said he had worked with biologists at the New England Aquarium years ago to tag other species of sharks and bluefin tuna.

“We’ve done this before,’’ he said. “It doesn’t hurt the sharks.’’

The tagging occurred days after officials set out to identify the species of five sharks seen about a mile off Monomoy Island last week. As of yesterday, marine scientists had identified three great white sharks in that area.

[Libloather]

Scientists tagged this great white shark and another off Chatham yesterday. (Greg Skomal/Massachusetts Division)

[Question Liberal Authority]

3 great whites are ID’d off coast

That's just racist. What about all the great blacks off coast who are never ID'd?

[Yorlik803]

Sharks...I though you were talking about Reagan, Cheney and Rush.

[submarinerswife]

Perhaps the sharks are fed up with liberals in Mass. California is next.

[ronnied]

TEDDY???

[MaggieCarta]

3 great whites are ID’d off coast

That's just racist. What about all the great blacks off coast who are never ID'd?

Chuckle. Thanks.

[A_Former_Democrat]

Seriously. Do we HAVE to call them “Great WHITES”?

[U S Army EOD]

We’ve got to get a longer pole!!!!!!!!!

[mefistofelerevised]

I’ve had a shark beside my boat that looked bigger than my 23 foot boat sailing out of San Francisco. I was a little scary. Yes there are big fish in the ocean.

[Mr Ramsbotham]

Perhaps the sharks are fed up with liberals in Mass. California is next.

Sharks won't eat liberals--not enough meat, and it gives them diarrhea.

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

From the title, I thought they were talking about 3 outstanding white people.

[CRBDeuce]

Sharks...I though you were talking about Kennedy, Kerry and Frank

[Capt. Tom]

If you are interested in white sharks visit Freeper Tom's page on them at:
http://www.newenglandsharks.com/N.ENG.%20whites.htm

[csvset]

I recall back in September of 2001, shark sightings were "news", until of course, the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Hmmm. I suspect Van Jones has a hand in this. /s

[Libloather]

I though you were talking about Reagan, Cheney and Rush.

4 great whites are ID’d in South Dakota

[KeepUSfree]

Yes, I am greatly offended that one of the most aggressive predators on the planet is called a "GReat White". Sure, it's the Great White oppressors again. How racist.

I think we should object vehemently and strenuously to get their name changed. I mean - they're ACTUALLY light grey. This Great White stuff just helps reinforce stereotypes fosters racist attitudes and diminishes us as Caucasians.

[ErnBatavia]

What about all the great blacks off coast who are never ID'd?

The Birther contingent is all over that issue.....

[Vigilantcitizen]

Thanks. Very informative.

[Viking2002]

'I’ve had a shark beside my boat that looked bigger than my 23 foot boat sailing out of San Francisco.'

You're gonna need a bigger boat.

[BuckeyeTexan]

This thread has me chuckling this morning. ;-p

[lack-of-trust]

I clicked on this post just to see how long it took to get the “bigger boat” comment... and I wasn't disappointed.
thanks!

[RRTJSP...........]

“That’s a twenty footer!”......”Twen-ty Fiv-e”.........

[moovova]

I’m sorry, but we call them Sea Kittens now! PETA has decided the renaming creates a more soft, cuddly and friendly view of our ocean-going friends.

Here kitty, kitty...

[KrisKrinkle]

“We don’t swing the bat unless it’s a strike.”

What game are they playing?

[Viking2002]

I was a-cuttin' and a-pastin' and a-typin' as fast as I could to get it in first.....LOL

[Capt. Tom]

The boat they used is about 32 feet long and not 22 feet as the article said.- Tom

[Lizavetta]

LOL!!

[OldDeckHand]

Does anyone one to make any guesses as to how much air time this story will receive tomorrow on the broadcast morning shows compared to the amount of time Van Jones will receive - if any?

[MarMema]

Close the beaches.

[calex59]

What is the name of that planton eating shark, I believe it gets absolutely huge. It might have been what you saw, 23 feet is quite large, even for a Great white.

[papasmurf]

“It doesn’t hurt the sharks.’’

And you know this how?

[Humble Servant]

” 3 great whites are ID’d off coast “

Racist bastards.

[mewzilla]

ROTF! Ditto :)

[backhoe]

You gotta love some folks rude sense of humor...

Teddy reincarnates! - Great White closes Cape Cod beach for Labor Day

[TheRedSoxWinThePennant]

was in Beverly mass on my birthday aug 22nd in either 95 or 96 and fisherman brought in an 18 footer caught in his gill nets. it was dead of course but just immense and when the new england aquarium staff got there and dissected it an entire dolphin spilled out on to the dock. It was impressive. The whole town came down to the dock that day.

[ol' hoghead]

basking shark or maybe whale shark. both veggies.

[Mariner]

White Sharks are very common off the coast of CA. It's routine.

However, it's moderately rare to see them in the warm waters of the mid-Atlantic.

[P8riot]

4 great whites are ID’d in South Dakota

Well, at least two anyway....

[P8riot]

Call it a kitty if you want to, but it still smells like fish.

[Vision]

25!

[LibFreeOrDie]

Whale shark:

[Capt. Tom]

was in Beverly mass on my birthday aug 22nd in either 95 or 96 and fisherman brought in an 18 footer caught in his gill nets.

That would be 1996, the story is on my website just over half way down the white shark page. - Tom

[teenyelliott]

BREAKING: Really big fish found in ocean

made me laugh

Get in the ocean, you lose your apex predator classification.

[teenyelliott]

Whitey poisons all fish of color, donchaknow.

[rdl6989]

Troll one of these over them = problem solved.

[teenyelliott]

Man, you are so right. We need to lobby for change. Perhaps Biden can head up the committee to change the name to the great grey shark, so as not to offend.

Remember the hullabaloo over using the phrase "black hole" as a scientific term?

BTW, that reminds me that I am offended by the phrase "little white lie". I really need to complain to someone about that.

[teenyelliott]

My thoughts exactly...

[painter]

Whale shark.Largest fish on earth.

[Islander7]

3 great whites are ID’d off coast

That must have been a sight for sore eyes.
I'd love to see their likes again.

[happinesswithoutpeace]

: )