Great Whites ''identify effective hunting grounds''

[BillM]

I had to cast over seals last summer when I went up to Chatham. I couldnt get over the size of them they were HUGE like walruses...and since there's no swimming out on the point anyway...Bring on the sharks!!!

[Raven]

how much is Blood per gallon again ?

[gone fishin]

As I recall we had at least three great white events last year. One was trapped in ? shallow water and brought plenty of attention. Another was sighted attacking a seal by a group taking a tour of the island to observe the Lil' darlings basking and I think another attack was spotted off the cape. I also remember a S-B member spotting carcases well chomped washing up on the beach.

They are and always have been here. It will be just a mater of time until there is another sighting this year. I wouldn't be too quick to surf board or maybe yaking around the rats.

[Finaddict]

I believe it was last summer when beach goers watched a shark take a seal right off the beach - behind the surf around Chatham ... that is scary ...

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by Finaddict

that is scary ...

The scarier, the better.

I want people to be irrationally petrified. There is a minimal risk to even yakkers and surfers in our waters. But once there is even a close encounter, I know I'll be emailing every news agency, regulatory agency and anyone else that'll list about the correlation between seeing the sharks and the abundance of shark bait in our waters.

[quick decision]

There are other sharks besides whites that have always been in these waters that will take a bite out of a seal. And there are still hundreds of thousands of seals. I don’t think great whites will make a big difference. You would need hundreds of whites eating 7 seals a day, all year summer long, to make a dent on the population. Watch the discovery channel where there is great whites feeding on seals in Australia. The seal populations in those areas are not down.

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by quick decision

There are other sharks besides whites that have always been in these waters that will take a bite out of a seal. And there are still hundreds of thousands of seals. I don’t think great whites will make a big difference. You would need hundreds of whites eating 7 seals a day, all year summer long, to make a dent on the population. Watch the discovery channel where there is great whites feeding on seals in Australia. The seal populations in those areas are not down.

I don't think the expectation is for sharks to take up residence in our waters and thin the seals. The hope is that more and more Whites show up and incite panic in the ignorant (read: the average person) - panic to the point where the government has to do something about the population of seals because they are drawing the sharks to these waters.

[GonnaCatchABig1]

Originally Posted by JohnnyD

The scarier, the better.

I want people to be irrationally petrified. There is a minimal risk to even yakkers and surfers in our waters. But once there is even a close encounter, I know I'll be emailing every news agency, regulatory agency and anyone else that'll list about the correlation between seeing the sharks and the abundance of shark bait in our waters.

do you honestly think anybody having a knee jerk reaction to a shark attack will blame the seals? cause i don't. i just see a shark hunt in the making.

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by GonnaCatchABig1

do you honestly think anybody having a knee jerk reaction to a shark attack will blame the seals? cause i don't. i just see a shark hunt in the making.

Nope. But I'm hoping intelligent people make the connection and use that knowledge to get the connection broadcast on the news.

Local Cape news will ignore the connection (or the story about sharks completely), due to the possible effect on tourism.

[Mr. Sandman]

No question in my mind whatsoever that they will come to feed on the seals and I think it will occur between monomoy and MV. They have already found some seals bit in half floating in the sounds. The little sand islands offshore are paved with seals..Some are PAVED solid at times. It's not one here one there, they are so thick in places that it looks like a pile of rocks. They don't leave anymore and are here year round.

There will be a real life "Jaws" situation and I think finally there will be some community pressure on environmental groups to take some action and allow fishermen to thin the heard and not the paying beach goers.

I think it happens soon...like in a few years and probably first strike on Nantucket or MV where there are a high population of summer bait...uh, I mean swimmers.

These protection groups are extremists in their own rights, they aim to protect every little thing at our expense and it is always mankind's fault for their demise. The other day I read the hold up on permits for building wind turbines and solar panels in the deserts of Nevada have been stalled...because these groups are protecting insects will be impacted out there. They gave Obama grief for swatting a fly the other day. This is ridiculous.