CANADIAN SHARK ATTACK REGISTRY

Diver bumped by porbeagle shark in Eastport

Case number: 22
Date: 2010-10-23
Location: Eastport, Maine (± 2 km from Canadian border)
Incident type: Bumping or attempted slashing — Code: HR
Species (Confirmed): Porbeagle shark (Lamna nasus)
Possible cause(s): Presence of fish pens or electronic devices (Provoked)
Result: No injury
Status: Confirmed¹
Description: The victim, Scott MacNichol, from nearby New Brunswick (Canada), was diving under an empty salmon pen where he was circled and then bumped in what was potentially an attempted slashing by a porbeagle shark. The confrontation was filmed on video (see below).

Assessment: The porbeagle shark is mainly a fish eater not known to feed on or attack marine mammals. This highly unusual incident involving a human may thus have been caused in part by the nearby presence of fish in other pens, which may have stimulated the shark’s feeding behaviour. The shark may also have perceived the diver as a competitor for the same food source and attempted to ward him off. Lastly, the shark may have been further stimulated or irritated by the electrical field produced by the diver’s camera system.

Note: Bump and bite attacks are characterised by the shark circling then bumping its victim before a possible slash, bite or feeding.

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References:
¹ Diver films shark attacking him in Bay of Fundy. CTV News. 01.11.2010. Online.
(Background) Salmon pens. Photo by Simo Räsänen (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Misrepresented and misunderstood, sharks play a critical role in North Atlantic ecosystems, but they are under increasing threat due to their unfair reputation, pollution, and a lack of public awareness. Please donate to help us study and protect the sharks of the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Canada before it’s too late.Donations to ORS, an all-volunteer charitable not-for-profit organisation, are tax deductible in Canada. Canada Revenue Agency #834462913RR0001

DONATE

“Fear and indifference bite deeper than any shark.”— Jeffrey Gallant, St. Lawrence Shark ObservatoryTax deductible in Canada
CRA #834462913RR0001DONATE