Migratory Great whites

[zilch]

Interesting story in most of the media in OZ and the UK about the movements
of the queen and king of the ocean.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4317536.stm

I thought exmouth was a bit to far north for them (a bit warm and many tiggers)

After seeing a National Geographic about GW's being tracked from California to Hawai, it seems they do move a fair bit.

Cheers

Jim

 

[simonspear]

Interesting story in most of the media in OZ and the UK about the movements
of the queen and king of the ocean.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4317536.stm

I thought exmouth was a bit to far north for them (a bit warm and many tiggers)

After seeing a National Geographic about GW's being tracked from California to Hawai, it seems they do move a fair bit.

Cheers

Jim

Thanks for the link to that article. With the distance that shark travelled taken into account it makes me think that they very well could appear now and again around the British Isles. Lots of rumours about how they 'could' be around with a number of 'sightings' but no absolute evidence yet. Up until now I had always just assumed that the sightings were misindentified Makos.

 

[riddler]

That's a huge distance to cover. It would be interesting to try to determine how much energy it required, and how she came by the energy to do it.

"There's plenty of food around South Africa and she would be using too much energy to just go to Australia to feed. Of course we can't prove this at this stage, it is just a hunch."

So, can great whites store up enough body fat to do the trip with only a little food? Or was she able to scavenge enough along the way?

 

[drbill]

They do not have to eat frequently so I would imagine they could survive on whatever they might find along the way... you know, sailors from capsized boats, etc.

 

[Spoon]

there even have been numerous sightings of great whites in taiwan as well as south of the philippines (mindanao) even the government protects them here. for them to do that means they are already in our waters.

 

[zilch]

Thanks for the link to that article. With the distance that shark travelled taken into account it makes me think that they very well could appear now and again around the British Isles. Lots of rumours about how they 'could' be around with a number of 'sightings' but no absolute evidence yet. Up until now I had always just assumed that the sightings were misindentified Makos.

Simon
Apparently when i was in sunny Cornwall last Winter there were a number of "sightings" :06: of great white(s) claimed. 2 by divers off of Falmouth i believe, and a surface sighting in North Cornwall (apparently feeding on something). I believe it was reported on the BBC news site and was in the local rags in Cornwall

Seems the naturalists/scientists cannot make there mind up. Not sure what there range is North of the Med entrance in the atlantic, thought they had been known on the french coast.

Cheers

Jim

 

[Green Hand]

http://www.divernet.com/news/stories/sharkcornwall180804.shtml

This link is to a news article regarding the reported sighting of a Great White in UK waters

 

[simonspear]

That's just the thing, there have been a number of people who have reported to have seen them around the UK, but no one has definitive proof that they are here. I'd say that it would be very easy for a diver even with a good interest in sharks to misidentify a shark in poor visibility like we get around the UK. Most of the sightings have been from sailors or fishermen who in theory would be less likely to get the identity right as they probably don't have the same knowledge of what to look for as a diver would. Would they know the difference between a Blue, Porbeagle, Mako and Great White just from a few fleeting glimpses from the surface? Would I? Would you?

Predominately Great Whites hunt near the surface and as far as I'm aware the only place where they stay deep is in the Med. If they are here and they are hunting at the surface then shouldn't there be a whole load more sightings than the one or two a year we get in mainly during the summer months?

I hadn't heard before that they are visitors to the North French coast, but if that's the case then they would certainly be within UK waters. Or it could be that they are in the same situation that we are and don't really know if they are there or not!!

Hopefully someone soon will be able to get a definitive photo or some video to answer this once and for all.

Cheers, Simon

 

[zilch]

That's just the thing, there have been a number of people who have reported to have seen them around the UK, but no one has definitive proof that they are here.

Hopefully someone soon will be able to get a definitive photo or some video to answer this once and for all.

Cheers, Simon

Simon, might need someone chumming the waters off of cornwall to prove it , according to the ISAF files they seem distributed in the eastern atlantic from France to South Africa http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/Whiteshark/whiteshark.html , so maybe closer than people think

Cheers

Jim

 

[simonspear]

Simon, might need someone chumming the waters off of cornwall to prove it , according to the ISAF files they seem distributed in the eastern atlantic from France to South Africa http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/Whiteshark/whiteshark.html , so maybe closer than people think

Cheers

Jim

Hi Jim

There are some shark days planned for next year and I think that it's pretty much the first time it's ever been tried in UK waters.

The plan is to try and see some Blue and Porbeagles, but hey it would sure be a turn up for the books if old Bruce made an appearance!!

I'll be able to let you know in about 10 months time!

Cheers, Simon