White shark in Mediterranean near Croatia

[Manuel]

I read in local newspapers that 3 days ago a 4 m white shark was sighted in the Mediterranean near Croatia. A diver saw it first and after a little search with a boat other people saw the shark, too. Some even claimed that there were even two.

MANUEL

 

[MKDVR]

Neat. There was an interesting documentary several years ago about white sharks in the Med.

 

[popac]

The shark(GWS) was spoted by a local diver just 20m offshore near the town of Pula several weeks ago.I doubt that there were two GWS since those animals are solitary and the Adriatic sea is far from their breeding grounds.I've never heard of a GWS visiting the waters of the Adriatic sea so far.The most common shark in the Adriatic is the blue shark which is often seen in the Adriatic and the Med. A 4m shark,it sounds like an adult shark which by now should have it's own and comon feeding grounds like the rest of the GWS's.

Anyway,keep in mind those GWS

 

[MKDVR]

The shark(GWS) was spoted by a local diver just 20m offshore near the town of Pula several weeks ago.I doubt that there were two GWS since those animals are solitary and the Adriatic sea is far from their breeding grounds.I've never heard of a GWS visiting the waters of the Adriatic sea so far.The most common shark in the Adriatic is the blue shark which is often seen in the Adriatic and the Med. A 4m shark,it sounds like an adult shark which by now should have it's own and comon feeding grounds like the rest of the GWS's.

Anyway,keep in mind those GWS

I know that's the been the common perception but remember another documentary about a tagging program in California that showed they traveled in packs or at least pairs and migrated. They weren't just nomads. Instead of seeing the same shark twice in an accident you may actually be seeing the partner. The idea is definitely frightening. Glad I don't surf. Anyway, I saw it years ago and my memories a little fuzzy.

Shark week is coming up soon. Maybe they will have some more current studies to talk about.

 

[Alison]

There was a discussion here last year sometime about GWS in the med, someone posted a link to a research website that estimated there were as many as 300 whites in the med but considering the size of it thats not many. Lucky buggers seeing one anyway

 

[SanSan]

I heard about the 4m GWS also. It should be somewhere between island Krk and Rovinj. Actualy I'm less than 300km from the place and wanted to go diving there .

About sharks in the adriatic sea there where quite a few here allready. Mostly they follow the big fishing ships that dock in Pula. Actualy I think the largest GWS was caugt in Split being 6,35m long and 2,5t. That was in the 70's or 80's i guess.

 

[pat fish]

1) In the mediterranean lives one of the biggest populations of great white sharks (white sharks are believed to stay at the mediterranean especially for reproduction)

2) A Proposal by Australia and the USA to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to put the great white on the international list for protection against catch and trade was refused (China, Japan,...) in 2000.
http://www.cites.org/eng/cop/11/prop/48.pdf
http://www.cites.org/common/com/AC/20/E20i-23.pdf
http://www.cites.org/common/cop/13/inf/E13i-51.pdf

3) Many biologists believe that the great white is already a living dead species due to its decreased population and very low reproduction rate.

...just 3 arguments to be happy about spotting a great white in the mediterranean

yours
pat

 

[popac]

Yeah,happy in general but very uncomfortable for the divers and tourists at present...
These people(i know them,i spent most of my childhood at the adriatic) are not used to sharks,especially GWS's,unlike the people in SA or Hawai
In other hand,it's just a fish swimming into the sea,it's normal i guess but you're all familiar with the GWS stories and facts

 

[pat fish]

You are right Popac!

nevertheless I hope my thoughts can give a new point of view.

yours
Pat

 

[octopus]

I've never heard of a GWS visiting the waters of the Adriatic sea so far.

I am bit surprised with this. I have been hearing about GWS sightings in Adriatic since I was a child. They have always been regulars in the area, although I could never understand how tuna can be their main source of food. If I remeber correctly, tuna has to swim at least its length per second in order to supply its powerfull muscles with enough oxygen. Very quick fish.
However, I can certainly confirm claim in bold. Very rapid environmental damage indeed.

• Albeit rare, the species is well-known from the Adriatic Sea, but occurs more frequently amongst the islands and gulfs that flank Croatia, between Pula and Split. Until circa 1960, adult great whites would be caught in Croatian waters by fishermen harvesting giant bluefin tuna - a favoured prey of Mediterranean great whites - but in more recent decades, their numbers have declined dramatically as overfishing and pollution has degraded the Northern Adriatic. This recent great white is the first to be seen and definitively identified there since the summer of 1993.

• Based on available evidence, their apparent decline in the Mediterranean is NOT related to global warming, as suggested by some newsmedia earlier today. Current research suggests that declines in their population has been more directly related to overfishing of favoured prey, especially bluefin tuna, alongside general environmental degradation of coastal Mediterranean habitats (a facet which is all too apparent in the Adriatic itself). There is no estimate of the number of great whites currently living within the Mediterranean; media quotes citing a figure of "5000" are complete conjecture.

The Mediterranean White Shark Database lists other specimens and related incidents over the past three decades from the northern-central Adriatic, which offer some index of relative abundance. For example:-

• August 1993: A female great white, measuring 5 metres in length, is caught by fishermen off Sibenik, Croatia

• July 1993: A great white shark, described as "large" by fishermen, is observed in the waters around Losinj Island, in Croatia's Kvarner Gulf.

• March, 1992: A young specimen, 2.3 metres long, is caught in nets off Termoli, on Italy's Adriatic coast.

• December, 1991: A youngster of 2.1 metres in length is caught by commercial fishermen off the coast at Ancona, on Italy's Adriatic coast.

• September 1989: 'Willie', measuring over five metres in length, puts in an appearance off Pesaro, Italy, while sport anglers fish for tuna offshore. She breaks their lines and circles the boats everal times. The same shark is seen repeatedly that summer elsewhere along the same part of the coast.

• August, 1974: A young German holidaymaker, Ralph Schneider, is fatally bitten by a white shark as he swims just off the coast at Omis, near Split, Croatia.

• September 1971: A Polish tourist, Stanislaw Klepka, is fatally attacked while swimming off the coast at Ika, near Opatija, Croatia.

• July 1966: Austrian tourist Manfred Gregor is seriously injured during a non-fatal attack by a 4.5 metre great white as he spearfishes with friends just off the beach at the resort of Riccione, near Rimini, Italy.

Source:
http://www.zoo.co.uk/~z9015043/news_archives.html

 

[mishu1984]

you can always tell if the diver is full of bs by checking his wetsuit. if it has a large brown stain in the tush, then you know he is telling the truth

 

[pstruhos]

http://www.inzine.sk/article.asp?art=3621