CANADIAN SHARK ATTACK REGISTRY

Shark leaps onto dory on Georges Bank

Case number: 15
Date: 1936-08-11
Location: Georges Bank, Nova Scotia*
Incident type: Attack on boat — Code: DF
Species (Suspected): White shark (Carcharodon carcharias)
Possible cause(s): Shark caught on hook and line (Provoked)
Result: No injury
Status: Confirmed
Description: Three fishermen from the schooner Raymonde reportedly¹ had to fend off a six-metre shark after it landed across their dory. Albion Muise, Peter Dousette and Jack Shannon had been fishing for cod when a shark swallowed a fish and was caught on the same hook. The shark then leaped out of the water and landed on the small dory. The shark continued to harass the boat for 15 minutes after being removed—or removing itself—from its precarious perch. It is not known if the shark actually attacked the boat, i.e. rammed, slashed or bit the dory.

Assessment: The story in the New York Times identifies the shark as a shovelnose, which is not an Atlantic species, nor is it a common name used for any shark found in Atlantic Canada. Based on size and the time of year, it is our determination that the most likely candidate is the white shark.

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* Other databases listing this incident mistakenly place Georges Bank in the province of Newfoundland.
References:
¹ 20-Foot Shark Attacks Dory. New York Times. 13.08.1936
(Background) The Dory (1887) by Winslow Homer. The Hayden Collection—Charles Henry Hayden Fund (Public Domain).
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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

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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