Two Great White Sharks Tagged Off Massachusetts

[Sansho]

Two great white sharks tagged off Massachusetts coast - CNN.com

[PACKRMAN]

"The first tagging Saturday marked the first time a great white shark had been successfully tagged in the Atlantic Ocean, the division said in a statement. A second shark was tagged Saturday afternoon, officials said"

Forgive my ignorance here.
Were there unsuccessful attempts? Was this the first time they got close enough? Two in one weekend but never before? I don't understand?

[petronius]

Originally Posted by PACKRMAN

"The first tagging Saturday marked the first time a great white shark had been successfully tagged in the Atlantic Ocean, the division said in a statement. A second shark was tagged Saturday afternoon, officials said"

Forgive my ignorance here.
Were there unsuccessful attempts? Was this the first time they got close enough? Two in one weekend but never before? I don't understand?

It looks like there have been plenty of successful taggings in the Pacific, although I get the sense that a lot of them have been juveniles. Perhaps there aren't as many spots in the Atlantic to reliably find great whites, whereas feeding hot-spots in the Pacific are well-known? Or maybe the Atlantic population is smaller?

Hope these tags broadcast for a long time - it's really fascinating to see where these animals travel and it would be great to have a better understanding of them...

[Lulubelle]

Originally Posted by Sansho

Two great white sharks tagged off Massachusetts coast - CNN.com

Hmm, I'm not sure if I wanted to know this or not. Our friendly sand tigers and occasional blacktips don't bother us divers much, but I'm pretty sure I don't want to come across a Great White.

[nrembis]

Originally Posted by Lulubelle

Hmm, I'm not sure if I wanted to know this or not. Our friendly sand tigers and occasional blacktips don't bother us divers much, but I'm pretty sure I don't want to come across a Great White.

I'd say you have nothing to worry about, other than the occasional sea turtle there is nothing else in there diet around the carolinas to keep them around

[Lulubelle]

Originally Posted by nrembis

I'd say you have nothing to worry about, other than the occasional sea turtle there is nothing else in there diet around the carolinas to keep them around

I think they have been spotted here on RARE occasions, but I'd be just as happy not to be one of the lucky spotters. I know bulls and hammerheads are also rarely spotted here. I'm thinking I need to study up on my shark ID. We get a bit complacent about the sand tigers.

[PACKRMAN]

It has been a day or two since I have watched JAWS but that was the east coast right?

[caburrid]

That is very cool. I would have figured they would have gotten a tag in by now though. Goes to show how much harder it is to get a hold of Great Whites in the Atlantic.

[jet126]

Originally Posted by PACKRMAN

"The first tagging Saturday marked the first time a great white shark had been successfully tagged in the Atlantic Ocean, the division said in a statement. A second shark was tagged Saturday afternoon, officials said"

Forgive my ignorance here.
Were there unsuccessful attempts? Was this the first time they got close enough? Two in one weekend but never before? I don't understand?

It is very difficult to tag a shark - you have to place the tag in just the right spot (somewhere around their dorsal fin) or they fall off. So an educated guess is that the rarity of whites in that area combined with difficulty of tagging is the reason these were the first. To get two in one weekend is all about right-time-right-place for anywhere.

[PACKRMAN]

So are we saying there are not very many Great Whites in the Atlantic?
There aren't many teams trying to tag them?
Did this team know these sharks were in the area and if so how many sharks?