The Dorsal Fin

YouTube user yleelawman recently posted the above video of what is described as a great white shark filmed in Stellwagen Bank during a whale watching tour. White sharks have been spotted fairly regularly in the waters off of Massachusetts, during this time of year, when the species is known to commonly migrate to northern waters of the Atlantic.

Update: A reader has commented that the dorsal fin seen in the video seems more characteristic of a basking shark than a white shark. After watching the video again, I’m inclined to agree. Basking sharks are also not uncommon in Massachusetts waters. Just last month a basking shark washed ashore on a Massachusetts beach after being filmed earlier swimming very close to shore.

If any shark experts out there would like to weigh in on the species identification, please let us know in the comments section. Thanks!

According to New England Cable News (NECN), a 7′ great white shark was caught, tagged and released in Stellwagen Bank. The shark was caught and released by the crew of a Gloucester, Massachusetts sportfishing charter boat. Dr. Gregory Skomal, of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, identified the shark as a great white. The article from NECN does not elaborate on what type of tag was used on the white shark.

Note: The video above is loops through an 8-second clip of the white shark after it was hooked. After you’ve seen the first 8 seconds, you’ve seen all there is to it.