Boston’s Fox 25 reports that a seal carcass with wounds consistent to a bite from a white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) washed ashore near Monomoy Island. Division of Marine Fisheries researcher Dr. Greg Skomal believes the bite was caused by a white shark in the 14′-16′ range.

A ban on swimming is still in effect indefinitely at Chatham’s North Beach, North Beach Island, and South Beach due to recent white shark sightings in the area.

Bay of Fundy whale watchers report seeing a great white shark like this one, only MUCH larger.
(photo taken off Isla de Guadalupe, Mexico).

Canada’s The Chronicle Herald is reporting that a “scary big” great white shark was spotted by a boat of whale watchers last Wednesday (August 17, 2011) in Fundy Bay off of Brier Island, Nova Scotia. According to the report, Fulton Lavender, a Nova Scotia Bird Society naturalist claims that the shark was over 25′ in his personal opinion.

Initially, Fulton thought the shark to be a basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus), which can normally reach lengths of over 25′. However, after seeing photographs of the shark taken by a tourist aboard the whale-watching boat, Fulton said it was “definitely a great white shark.” Others aboard the boat reported that the shark had a white underside. While basking sharks do not characteristically have a white underside, white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) do. Fulton also added that the photographs taken showed facial patterns and a dorsal fin more characteristic of a white shark.

The photographer who took the photos of the animal promised to provide Brier Island officials with a copy of a photograph of the animal but has yet to do so.

Adult white sharks are typically in the range of 13′-17′ in length, but reports of specimens reaching 20′, though somewhat rare, are not unheard of. A white shark exceeding 25′ in length would be extremely outside of the normal size range of the species.

Reid Gillis, a skipper for one of the whale watching boat says he saw the animal breach three times, but he could not identify the species as a white shark. The shark was also blamed by some of the whale watchers for a attacking a local humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) who was seen with “crescent-shaped” wounds. Gillis who saw the wounds on the whale noted that he did not see the shark attack the humpback and could not determine whether the wounds were the result of bite marks.

Canadian shark researcher, Steven Campana, told The Chronicle Herald that it would be highly unusual for a white shark to attack a healthy adult whale.

Earlier this month a small white shark was captured inadvertently in a fisherman’s weir in the Bay of Fundy, putting an end to speculation that the species were currently present in the region.

Well-known underwater photographer and WetPixel owner Eric Cheng has shared a video on his YouTube channel that features a 5-year-old boy swimming along side a whale shark (Rhincodon typus) off of Mexico’s Isla Mujeres. The area has become a hot-spot for snorkeling during the summer months when large numbers of whale shark aggregate in a relatively small area.

WARNING: Video contains offensive language.

YouTube user Steve02988 has uploaded the above video which features a fisherman trying to get a very small shark to bite him. He succeeds in getting the shark to bite his finger and ear before releasing the shark back to the water. It should go without saying, but…kids, don’t try this at home.

Research at Vanderbilt University has helped fit shark attack survivor Craig Hutto with a “bionic” leg that can do all the things a normal leg can do including navigating various terrains, walking at different speeds, and transitions from sitting to standing.

Hutto’s right leg was amputated below the knee after he suffered injuries due to a shark bite in 2005. Hutto now works as a lab assistant for Vanderbilt mechanical engineering professor Michael Goldfarb who developed the artificial leg. Goldfarb was looking for an amputee to test his creation on when he was introduced to Hutto by the technician who fitted Hutto with his original prosthetic leg.

Goldfarb plans to release the prototype leg to a manufacturer in the near future and expects the cost of the leg to be comparable to a traditional prosthetic. Goldfarb noted that Hutto’s participation in the development of the leg was “invaluable.”

In addition to working in Goldfarb’s lab, Hutto is a nursing student who hopes to work Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt after graduation. This is the same hospital where Hutto was treated after his shark attack. Hutto credits medical personnel with saving his life and hopes to be able to “give back” with his chosen career path.

You can check out the full story at Vanderbilt University’s website.

Canada’s CTV News reports that the jaws of a great white shark caught by fisherman Wayne Linkletter will be donated to the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History located in Halifax. The white shark was accidentally trapped in fishing weir intended to catch herring near Economy, Nova Scotia on August 7. While Linkletter has donated the head of the captured shark to science, the video report at CTV News stated that he plans to eat the rest of it.

Though rare sightings of white sharks in Nova Scotia waters have been reported, physical evidence to back up the reports has been sparse in recent years. The accidental capture of this white shark provides solid evidence of the species presence in the region.

The shark’s jaws are in the process of being cleaned by a museum curator. The jaws are expected to go on display around mid September in the Halfax museum’s marine gallery.

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) has listed Atlantic populations of white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) as “endangered,” while the species is listed as globally “vulnerable” on the ICUN Red List .

UPDATE: RussiaToday recently released the video report below…

Australia’s Herald Sun reports that a second shark attack has occurred off of Russia’s Pacific coast (another attack happened in the region one day earlier) in the Sea of Japan. According to the report, a 16-year-old boy is recovering from “serious” injuries as a result of a shark bite. The boy was apparently bitten on the upper leg while swimming off Zheltukhin island in Russia’s Khasan district.

On Wednesday a 25-year-old man suffered sever injuries to both of his arms resulting in the loss of both forearms. According to Arkady Babenko, the head of surgery at Khasan Central District Hospital, the man is in “grave” condition and remains in “intensive care” after being attacked by a shark while swimming off a beach in the Khasan district.

Shark attacks in the region were unheard of up until this week. Vladmir Rakov, a marine biology professor in Vladivostok, noted that there had been no documented cases of shark attacks on humans in the area. Rakov went on to say that it was likely a white shark behind the attack on Wednesday, based on eyewitness descriptions, according to the Herald Sun article.

YouTube user Nickaway recently posted the video above which shows a group effort to help return what is listed as a 12.5′ tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) back to the water. The video was shot next to Bob Hal Pier in Corpus Christi, Texas. According to the video description the shark was tagged and released from the beach. Based on the video footage, it looks like quite a bit of effort was needed to get the shark back out into the gulf.

Kudos to all of those involved in the release effort.

According to a Change.org blog post, the Food Network has removed all recipes from their website featuring shark meat. The move was prompted by an online petition, which was signed by over 30,000 people.

Susan Stockton, of Food Network Kitchens issued the following statement on the network’s future use of shark-based ingredients:

"As a policy, Food Network and Cooking Channel do not incorporate or showcase recipes that involve animals on endangered species list or the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch list, with the recent addition of sharks to those watch-lists, we will make sure that future content does not highlight shark as an ingredient. We understand there are many species with sustainability concerns, and we make efforts to stay informed and pass that information onto our audience."

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch list recommends seafood options based on catch methods and species sustainability with a goal of maintaining healthy oceans.

Boston’s NECN is reporting that three Chatham beaches have been closed indefinitely after beachgoers witnessed a white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) preying on a harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) “close to beach.” The three beaches closed are North Beach, North Beach Island and South Beach are closed to swimming. A swimming ban from 5pm to 9:30am still remains in effect for Chatham’s Lighthouse Beach.