There is no need for a bigger boat in the waters of Haida Gwaii after a 13.5-foot great white shark washed up dead on a beach in Tlell on Oct. 10.
Dr. Jackie King, a research scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, says a great white is incredibly rare in B.C. waters.
“People get excited when they hear great white shark because they’re the movie stars of sharks,” King said.
While many shark species hunt and travel through the waters near Haida Gwaii, the great white is not a regular visitor. There have been rare reports of the species entering the Gulf of Alaska.
The male great white shark washed up about a kilometre north of the Halibut Bight rest stop. First spotted by a local from their boat, the shark was quickly reported to authorities and soon the site became the place to be for locals.
King told the Haida Gwaii News that the shark’s teeth and tail fin shape helped her identify it as a great white.
“Most great-white sightings in our waters turn out to be salmon sharks,” she said. Salmon sharks can grow up to 10 feet long and have similar body shapes, making them easy to confuse with great whites.
“This is the first one I have personally confirmed in our waters,” she said.
More than a dozen great white sharks have been officially confirmed in B.C. waters, usually by teeth found on beaches, including on Haida Gwaii. Many long-time locals have heard stories of other beached sharks from decades past.
“It’s not unheard of—although it is rare,” said local marine ecologist Lynn Lee. Lee said she hears about a beached great white shark every few years or so.
Local conservation teams took samples that will be sent off-island to determine how the shark died. King said she doesn’t expect to find a conclusive cause of death.
Lee suspects it had to do with the shark being in the cold waters too long, noting that the carcass had no signs of trauma or other apparent cause of death.
King estimates the shark was about 30 years old. Great white sharks can live for over 70 years and grow to around 19 feet long.
Lee said when the samples were collected, they discovered a partially digested harbour seal in the shark’s stomach, which King said was a sign it had recently been healthy enough to hunt.
Based on the shark’s length and width, Lee estimates it weighed around 1,700 pounds. How long the shark had been deceased before it washed ashore is unknown, although Lee believes it washed up shortly after it died.
While great white sharks are more common in temperate or tropical waters, rising water temperatures and a healthy marine mammal population could attract the species.
“We could see more in the upcoming decades,” King said.
“Sharks are nothing to fear and loathe,” she added. Like other fascinating shark species, she hopes that people will take the time to learn more about the great white shark.