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magazine / so07
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September/October 2007 issue |
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FEATURE
Lone shark
Although endangered,
the porbeagle shark still lurks deep in the North Atlantic. With
a fishing crew's help, one scientist is trying to locate and protect its birthing grounds.
Photography and story by Dan Doucette
"The line's tight!" shouts marine biologist Steven Campana.
"We might have something." We're on a fishing boat on the Grand
Banks, 200 kilometres east of the Nova Scotia coast, staring into the
ocean's surface to see what will emerge from the depths. With a white
flash, a mass glides from under the boat, and the alarm is sounded: shark!
Activity erupts around me. The engines strain to stop the boat as the
crew rushes to the rail with poles and ropes, lowers a sling into the water
and guides the hooked shark into it. After much manoeuvring of
beast, steel and canvas, the men slide the thrashing fish into the sling
and start hoisting. Carefully, making sure not to injure it on the gunwale,
the shark is lifted over the rail and lowered onto the deck.
top
Campana, of the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Dartmouth,
N.S., hired this Sambro-based fishing boat and crew to help him collect
a second year of data on the endangered predator. He directs the
crewmen as they work quickly to keep the shark - a female porbeagle
(Lamna nasus) - alive. First, they insert a hose
into its mouth to supply oxygen to the gills. When
Campana is sure the shark is a healthy specimen,
he inspects and measures it. At about two metres
long and likely pregnant, it has exactly the criteria
he seeks. With some effort, he pierces the base
of the dorsal fin to attach a sophisticated $4,500
satellite tag. Then, as rapidly as possible, the crew
hoists the fish back into the ocean headfirst, for
a fresh burst of water over the gills. They all watch
for signs of distress, hoping it will swim into
the depths on its own - any sort of lifeless sinking
is bad. After a moment, a flip of the tail propels
the porbeagle down into its watery habitat,
seemingly oblivious to the high-tech device
attached to its back.
For the rest of this story, visit your local newsstand or go to our store to buy this issue.
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