Whenever Big Sharks Are Nearby I Panic and Call My Shark Guy

Anybody Besides Me A Little Unrelaxed Thinking About Taking A Relaxing Dip In The Atlantic Ocean During 'Shark Season'? 

Several huge sharks have been spotted near New York, New Jersey, and Cape Cod. Field & Stream Magazine recently quoted , OCEARCH founder and shark researcher Chris Fischer as saying  “The moment you’re 3-feet in the ocean, you’re in the wild, and you’ve taken a risk." 3 FEET???  That sounded very 'UNrelaxing'.

I decided to put out an SOS for MY 'Shark Guy" Dr. Gregory Skomal to call me so we could...'discuss' just how UNrelaxed we should be at the beach this year.

'Greg' physically tags Great White Sharks for a living. He's the Senior Fisheries Scientist at the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries and currently heads up the Massachusetts Shark Research Program (MSRP). If there's a TV Shark Show, Dr. Gregory Skomal is usually in it. This is a guy who saw the movie 'Jaws' as a kid and couldn't wait to get back in the water. As opposed to most of the rest of us who saw 'Jaws' and never relaxed on a float in any body of water again. 

You'll notice at the very beginning of this live radio show recording  (podcast) of our conversation I'm talking about avocado robbers not sharks. That's because after my big intro it seems 'Greg' got held up and since I was doing this show remotely, I had no idea if he was even going to show up -  so I started talking about 'whatever'. LOL 

Luckily 'Shark Guy' arrived and shared really good news for beachgoers  in NY & NJ. He said, "The chances of getting bitten by a shark in those areas are really low - pretty much non existent." However he did say, up near Cape Cod near the outer Cape, white sharks are hunting seals close to shore so people probably don't want to go in past their shoulders. (Keep in mind wet suits resemble seals in the water. Why they don't make them in day glow colors or plaid I'll never know.) 

On the subject of shark teeth which people collect and wear, I mentioned when I was in North Carolina in May there were women walking the beach looking for shark teeth?  Why the heck are sharks losing so many teeth I had to ask? Greg says, ‘Sharks shed their teeth throughout their entire lives. They have multiple rows of teeth constantly replacing old teeth. Think of their teeth he said, as conveyor belts. It's what they do to keep them sharp." (Another UNrelaxing thought.) 

 

And what does a Shark Scientist think about Shark Fishing Tournaments like the ones you hear about in Montauk NY?  As long as people adhere to federal and state regulations meeting the minimum size and bag limits, he's totally cool with them. In fact, he's used tournaments over the years to get shark samples to study. 

 

Does a shark scientist eat shark? "Most definitely said Greg, it's delicious right up there against swordfish. Better than swordfish. Very good eating"

 

So much fun to have a 'Shark Guy' friend! even more fun I can now 'calmly' go into the ocean '3 feet'. Maybe.

You can follow Dr. Gregory Skomal  follow all the Great Whites and now you can also follow the sharks yourself too. The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, created an app called "Sharktivity" in collaboration with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, the Cape Cod National Seashore, and officials from Cape Cod and South Shore towns to raise awareness of the presence of white sharks off their coast. That should app-solutely come in handy next time you're about to dip your toes in the ocean during shark season. 

PS Dr. Gregory Skomal's shark research has spanned multiple fish habitats around the globe. He's written dozens of scientific research papers and has appeared in a number of film and television documentaries, including programs for National Geographic, Discovery Channel, ESPN, and numerous television networks. His most recent book, The Shark Handbook, is a must buy for all shark enthusiasts.