Sunday, June 22, 2014

More GWS on the East Coast!


This is becoming ever more frequent.



And here is the paper - read it!
GWS sightings on the US East coast are on the increase, prompting  the researchers to speculate that after nearly 20 years of protection, the NW Atlantic population may finally be rebounding, much like what appears to be the case wherever they have been protected elsewhere.
Great synopsis by NOAA here, stories here and here.

And did you notice?
Remember Fischer's continuous reference to the unknown location of the nurseries, all the way to publicly speculating that Lydia may be on the way to giving birth in Turkey? Of course she did not and is back more or less exactly where she was tagged (= philopatry rules), the more as the Mediterranean population is believed to be completely distinct.

Surprise surprise - the nurseries are already known! 
No (obviously!) nothing to do with Fischer, and I cite
YOY and juvenile white sharks, which were more prevalent in the New York Bight region during summer, would have access to a wide variety of demersal and pelagic teleosts and elasmobranchs for prey [24]. The waters less than 50 m deep on the broad continental shelf in the New York Bight area may represent primary nursery habitat for YOY white sharks [24]. The seasonal peak in the presence of neonate-sized sharks suggests that parturition may occur near this area between May and August.
W.C. Fields anybody?
Which begs the question, how does all that unremitting bullshit reflect on the standing of the likes of Skomal and Hueter?

Anyway.
Read the paper - great stuff and a cause for hope!

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