The Dorsal Fin

Lyman’s Beach on Hawaii’s Big Island has been the scene of two separate incidents involving what is believed to be a tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) biting a surfboard, according to a KHON2 report. The first incident occurred Sunday when a stand-up paddleboarder had her board bumped by a shark, followed by the shark biting the board. The second similar event occurred yesterday, in which, a longboard surfer had her board bumped and then bitten. No one was injured in either incident, but in both cases bite marks were left in the surfers’ boards.

Both incidents resulted in nearby beaches being temporarily closed. Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) air searches were unable to spot the shark in either instance. In both cases the surfers reported seeing “lots of turtles” in the area. Sea turtles are a known food source for tiger sharks.

Speculation that the same shark might be responsible for both bites is being investigated. DLRN will compare the bite marks on both boards to determine if the bites were delivered by the same shark. The size of the shark(s) will also be determined from the bite marks.

According to ABC, a swimming ban was put into effect at multiple Chatham beaches after multiple great white shark sightings were confirmed in the area. According to WCBV-TV three white sharks were spotted Saturday evening. Chatham officials have placed the no-swimming ban in effect until at least mid-week for all east-side beaches. The good news is that researchers were able to tag two of the sharks, one of which was tagged within 75 yards of the coastline.

Two great white sharks have been tagged with satellite tracking devices off of Cape Cod

Greg Skomal of the Massachusetts’ Division of Marine Wildlife, along with a team of fishermen, were able to tag two of the great white sharks with satellite tracking devices. Skomal described the tagging of the two white sharks as being “fantastic,” from a scientific perspective.The event marked the first time that great white sharks had been tagged in the Atlantic, according to a WCBV video feature. Update: Multiple news sources are now saying that this weekend’s taggings of two great white sharks mark the second and third time white sharks have been tagged in the Atlantic.

It is also worth pointing out that the WCBV video feature makes note that at least one aspect of tourism in the area has received a bit of boost, due to the shark sightings. An interest in excursions to attempt to view the great whites has increased business for at least one excursion operator who typically runs trips to view seals.

Both the ABC report and the WCBV-TV reports managed to do a decent job of objectively reporting the story, without throwing in the typical hype. Hopefully, the tagging of the sharks will provide information that will help lead to a better understanding of a species that is often misrepresented and misunderstood.

In a prime-example of media sensationalism, The Korean Times is reporting in the article, Vacationers Warned After Sharks Spotted, that two hammerheads were spotted off the coast of Tongyoung, South Gyeongsang Province “not far from” Mondol Beach. The article quotes a researcher of the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute as saying, “the hammerhead shark is a violent and dangerous species,” and “Our beaches are no longer safe from sharks.”

Hammerhead sharks: a dangerous and violent species?