By Greg Bennett
The Coast Guard
A 22-foot shark that washed up on a Shelburne County shore last week would have caused some alarm but for the lack of razor sharp teeth.
Department of Fisheries and Oceans representatives identified the dead fish that washed up near Locke’s Island at the head of Jordan Bay as a docile basking shark.
Although sometimes mistaken for its dangerous relative, the great white shark, the basking shark feeds on plankton and other tiny sea creatures it filters out through its cavernous mouth. Basking sharks are not dangerous and are easily approached by boats and divers.
Warren Joyce, of the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, said that it was an unusual time of year for a basking shark to be in such northern waters.
“It is rare for them to be here this time of year,” he said.
Joyce noted that there is still much to be learned about the basking shark and only in recent years have scientists begun to unravel some information about their range and habits.
He said some sharks tagged in Nova Scotia have been tracked travelling as far as the coast of Brazil.
The basking shark is the second largest fish in the world, second only to the whale shark, which is also a filter feeder. Basking sharks can reach lengths of 10 meters (33 feet) and can weigh up to four tons.
