Law enforcement investigating death of great white shark at Aptos beach
UPDATE: 6/20/2018 3:00 p.m. Law enforcement officials with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife are investigating the death of a great white shark that washed ashore an Aptos beach on Sunday.
The Department said necropsy results are in but they’re not releasing that information at this time.
Experts believe the shark was a juvenile, weighing about 500 pounds and eight feet in length.
The shark was found with cuts and wounds around it’s body.
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UPDATE 06/18/18 5:40PM A Great White Shark washed-up on an Aptos beach, Sunday.
The young, male, shark was found dead near the Seascape Beach Resort.
Experts on scene tell KION it is around eight feet long and about 500 pounds.
“It’s in the same generational category as the other two that stranded last year. These are all sub-adults and we suspect it’s from the same group of sharks that began moving in in 2015,” says Sean Van Sommeran with the Pelagic Shark Research Foundation.
They are still trying to figure out how it got there and why it died. The shark has puncture wounds on the body, indicating a possible fight with another sea animal.
But Van Sommeran says that’s probably not why the shark died, “it could have swallowed some debris or junk. It could have a hook injury, you know try to steal somebody’s fish and swallow a hook and if it hooks in the wrong spot they’ll bleed out just like a salmon. Or it could be one of the pathogens we’ve identified through the study since 2007 with a number of different sharks.”
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is handling the necropsy. They tell KION they will preform it on Tuesday and could have results as early as Tuesday night, or later in the week.
Responders say after an incident last year when a sharks dorsal fin was cut off they have to respond quickly when a shark washes to shore.
“Also because the teeth, you know, the fin was taken off the one last year. You can get 1000 bucks
for that thing if you find the right market. Cause it’s illegal and that makes the price go up,” says Van Sommeran.
Experts say if you come across a marine animal stranded on shore, report it to lifeguards or authorities right away. Wether it is dead or alive it is still valuable.
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A Great White Shark washed-up on an Aptos beach, Sunday.
The young, male, shark was found dead near the Seascape Beach Resort.
Experts on scene tell KION it is around eight feet long and about 500 pounds. They are still trying to figure out how it got there and why it died. Their theories point to puncture wounds on the body, indicating a possible fight with another sea animal.
UC Santa Cruz is handling the necropsy.
KION’s Ashley Keehn has the details at 5 and 6 p.m.
