See the light on Cape Shark spotting
By Sean Gonsalves of the Cape Cod Times
Staff Columnist
August 15, 2010
It's easy to make biting remarks about news reports of sharks in the water. Sharks in the water? That's news?! That's where they live! What's next — stories about the sun being out there, somewhere, even when it's cloudy?
But let's face it. Sharks are fascinating. And don't tell me that if you had plans to hit the beach for a dip you wouldn't want to know whether one of the most feared predators in the sea happened to be on the prowl just off shore in the general area you wanted to go boogie-boarding.
Fret not. The shark display at the Woods Hole Science Aquarium says there are only 0.4 human deaths attributed to shark attacks in the United States annually. Still, would you want to be Mr. or Mrs. 0.4 — the statistically insignificant great white chomp victim, significant enough to be mistaken for a harbor seal?
I didn't think so. Thus, the need for flying shark spotters. Of course, sharper minds have already thought of that; namely, the state's shark expert, Greg Skomal.
The problem: budget constraints. Shark patrol just isn't high on the state's funding priority list. And, given all the clamoring for austerity measures in government, I'm going to step out on a plank here and say it's more likely that Richard Dreyfuss comes over to your house to dine on Mako-kabobs than for the state to earmark money to track shark movements.
In the economic ecosystem we're in today, Skomal has had to go hat-in-hand, relying on benefactors to fund the research he and his small staff are doing. So far, they've been able to cobble together a loose, informal network of spotter pilots, fishermen, recreational boaters, harbor masters and beach superintendents to help spot and tag a few sharks.
One of those unofficial shark patrol deputies is retired Delta Airlines pilot George Breen. Once a week, Breen pulls his Piper Supercub out of the hangar at the Falmouth Airpark and flies the friendly skies shark-spotting.
"You're not going to see them from the beach. And sometimes, even on boats, you can't see them until you're 50 feet away. Only very occasionally will a shark come up to the surface. They hug the bottom and tack upwards when they're going after prey," he tells me, explaining why spotters need to have eyes in the sky.
As it stands now, spotters only fly about once a week, Breen said. That's not enough. "There should be some kind of structured program to monitor the beaches," he said.
Like what? "You need flights and boats. And the spotting has to be done by knowledgeable fish finding pilots. ... There's plenty around. ... It would be fantastic to have spotters out there three times a week instead of just once a week," he said.
Thinking out loud, Breen calculated the costs — hiring a pilot and paying for gas — to be about $20,000 for the summer season, give or take.
You mean to tell me the Outer Cape towns, in the name of being tourist-friendly, couldn't scrape that together? Maybe not, dealing as they are with incredibly shrinking revenue streams. The good news, though: Breen and some folks in the business community are trying to think outside the shark cage. "I'm talking with some organizations about maybe setting up some kind of tax-free foundation," he said.
Lisa Franz, executive director of the Chatham Chamber of Commerce, knows what's up. "It comes down to a lack of money. Where does the money come from? Right now, Greg (Skomal) relies on donations. We're looking to see how we could possibly help with this."
A year ago, Franz admits, she thought sharks-in-the-water would be bad for business. "The beaches are a big draw." But after pondering the issue for a season, she started to think about getting ahead of "media sensationalism" to get good, timely information out to the public, adding that "even when you can't go into water, there's lots to enjoy at the beach."
She's also noticed shark sightings bring gawkers to town. Now, she's beginning to have entrepreneurial visions. Shark-watching plane tours, perhaps. A shark research facility that would draw not just curious tourists, but the scientifically curious, too? Maybe get the New England Aquarium in on the action.
In the meantime, business owners who might be feeling the biggest bite in their sales aren't complaining about a drop-off in customers because of the sharks.
"It's been a hot topic of discussion around town," says Molly McIntire, manager of the Nauset Surf Shop in neighboring Orleans. "Personally, I'd feel more comfortable if we had more plane spotters. The more information that's out there, the better. As far as customers go, I think it's in the back of some people's minds but we're seeing more and more people getting into surfing. ... The sharks have always been out there, haven't they?"
I've got my own shark-spotter funding idea. Sell a few of those giant streamer ads and attach them to the back of spotter planes as they fly along the coast. Shark in the water! Fish & Chips at the Clam Shack — $9.99.
Sean Gonsalves' column runs on Sundays and Wednesdays. Read past columns at www.capecodonline.com/gonsalves. He can be reached at sgonsalves@capecodonline.com
By Sean Gonsalves of the Cape Cod Times
Staff Columnist
August 15, 2010
It's easy to make biting remarks about news reports of sharks in the water. Sharks in the water? That's news?! That's where they live! What's next — stories about the sun being out there, somewhere, even when it's cloudy?
But let's face it. Sharks are fascinating. And don't tell me that if you had plans to hit the beach for a dip you wouldn't want to know whether one of the most feared predators in the sea happened to be on the prowl just off shore in the general area you wanted to go boogie-boarding.
Fret not. The shark display at the Woods Hole Science Aquarium says there are only 0.4 human deaths attributed to shark attacks in the United States annually. Still, would you want to be Mr. or Mrs. 0.4 — the statistically insignificant great white chomp victim, significant enough to be mistaken for a harbor seal?
I didn't think so. Thus, the need for flying shark spotters. Of course, sharper minds have already thought of that; namely, the state's shark expert, Greg Skomal.
The problem: budget constraints. Shark patrol just isn't high on the state's funding priority list. And, given all the clamoring for austerity measures in government, I'm going to step out on a plank here and say it's more likely that Richard Dreyfuss comes over to your house to dine on Mako-kabobs than for the state to earmark money to track shark movements.
In the economic ecosystem we're in today, Skomal has had to go hat-in-hand, relying on benefactors to fund the research he and his small staff are doing. So far, they've been able to cobble together a loose, informal network of spotter pilots, fishermen, recreational boaters, harbor masters and beach superintendents to help spot and tag a few sharks.
One of those unofficial shark patrol deputies is retired Delta Airlines pilot George Breen. Once a week, Breen pulls his Piper Supercub out of the hangar at the Falmouth Airpark and flies the friendly skies shark-spotting.
"You're not going to see them from the beach. And sometimes, even on boats, you can't see them until you're 50 feet away. Only very occasionally will a shark come up to the surface. They hug the bottom and tack upwards when they're going after prey," he tells me, explaining why spotters need to have eyes in the sky.
As it stands now, spotters only fly about once a week, Breen said. That's not enough. "There should be some kind of structured program to monitor the beaches," he said.
Like what? "You need flights and boats. And the spotting has to be done by knowledgeable fish finding pilots. ... There's plenty around. ... It would be fantastic to have spotters out there three times a week instead of just once a week," he said.
Thinking out loud, Breen calculated the costs — hiring a pilot and paying for gas — to be about $20,000 for the summer season, give or take.
You mean to tell me the Outer Cape towns, in the name of being tourist-friendly, couldn't scrape that together? Maybe not, dealing as they are with incredibly shrinking revenue streams. The good news, though: Breen and some folks in the business community are trying to think outside the shark cage. "I'm talking with some organizations about maybe setting up some kind of tax-free foundation," he said.
Lisa Franz, executive director of the Chatham Chamber of Commerce, knows what's up. "It comes down to a lack of money. Where does the money come from? Right now, Greg (Skomal) relies on donations. We're looking to see how we could possibly help with this."
A year ago, Franz admits, she thought sharks-in-the-water would be bad for business. "The beaches are a big draw." But after pondering the issue for a season, she started to think about getting ahead of "media sensationalism" to get good, timely information out to the public, adding that "even when you can't go into water, there's lots to enjoy at the beach."
She's also noticed shark sightings bring gawkers to town. Now, she's beginning to have entrepreneurial visions. Shark-watching plane tours, perhaps. A shark research facility that would draw not just curious tourists, but the scientifically curious, too? Maybe get the New England Aquarium in on the action.
In the meantime, business owners who might be feeling the biggest bite in their sales aren't complaining about a drop-off in customers because of the sharks.
"It's been a hot topic of discussion around town," says Molly McIntire, manager of the Nauset Surf Shop in neighboring Orleans. "Personally, I'd feel more comfortable if we had more plane spotters. The more information that's out there, the better. As far as customers go, I think it's in the back of some people's minds but we're seeing more and more people getting into surfing. ... The sharks have always been out there, haven't they?"
I've got my own shark-spotter funding idea. Sell a few of those giant streamer ads and attach them to the back of spotter planes as they fly along the coast. Shark in the water! Fish & Chips at the Clam Shack — $9.99.
Sean Gonsalves' column runs on Sundays and Wednesdays. Read past columns at www.capecodonline.com/gonsalves. He can be reached at sgonsalves@capecodonline.com
Great white in Truro confirmed
From the Cape Cod Times
August 23, 2010
TRURO — A state shark expert confirmed yesterday that a shark spotted in the waters on the Truro and Provincetown border Saturday was a great white.
Catherine Williams, from the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, said shark expert Greg Skomal examined photographs of the shark.
A person spotted the shark attacking a seal "very close" to the shore Saturday morning between Race Point Beach in Provincetown and Head of the Meadow Beach in Truro. No estimate of the distance was available.
The witness took pictures, according to the Cape Cod National Seashore. Officials put up warning flags in the area.
The state has not received any reports of great whites in the area since then, Williams said.
This marks the northernmost sighting of a great white in Cape waters this summer. There had previously been sightings from Westport to Orleans.
From the Cape Cod Times
August 23, 2010
TRURO — A state shark expert confirmed yesterday that a shark spotted in the waters on the Truro and Provincetown border Saturday was a great white.
Catherine Williams, from the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, said shark expert Greg Skomal examined photographs of the shark.
A person spotted the shark attacking a seal "very close" to the shore Saturday morning between Race Point Beach in Provincetown and Head of the Meadow Beach in Truro. No estimate of the distance was available.
The witness took pictures, according to the Cape Cod National Seashore. Officials put up warning flags in the area.
The state has not received any reports of great whites in the area since then, Williams said.
This marks the northernmost sighting of a great white in Cape waters this summer. There had previously been sightings from Westport to Orleans.