The basking shark that recently drew crowds in Bedford Basin was an unusually rare sight, even by the standards of someone who spends his career studying sharks.
Dr. Neil Hammerschlag, director of the Shark Research Foundation and president of Atlantic Shark Expeditions, says basking sharks are found in Atlantic Canadian waters but are typically seen much farther offshore.
“It’s not a species that you see inshore and it’s not one that I’d ever expect to see in Bedford Basin and in super shallow water,” Hammerschlag said.
The shark was spotted swimming near the Bedford Basin Yacht Club and drew considerable attention because of its size and proximity to shore.
Basking sharks are the second-largest fish in the world and can reach several metres in length.
Despite their size, Hammerschlag says they pose no danger to people.
“They are actually harmless to humans,” he said.
The animals feed by swimming with their mouths open and filtering plankton, including tiny crustaceans and fish eggs, from the water.
Rare even for a shark researcher
Hammerschlag says the species is not unusual in the broader waters off Nova Scotia, but encounters are still uncommon.
He says the basking sharks he has previously seen have been in deep water, many kilometres offshore.
“I’m out all the time on the water, and I see lots of great white sharks and other things, but I think I’ve only seen a basking shark in real life once,” he said.
Videos from Bedford also showed the shark making tight circles and appearing to thrash in shallow water.
Hammerschlag says that behaviour was not typical.
One possibility is that the animal had become stressed or disoriented after entering shallow water.
Another is that it may have been using the seafloor to scratch parasites from its body.
He says there is no way to know for certain without further observation.
For those who managed to see it, Hammerschlag says the encounter was something to appreciate.
“This is a rare animal and it’s completely harmless, eats plankton,” he said. “Consider yourself lucky if you were one of those that got to see it in person.”
There have been no reported sightings since the weekend.
Evan Taylor is a 2018 graduate of the journalism program at Fanshawe College. He is based in Bridgewater and covers stories across the South Shore and Nova Scotia. Contact Evan at taylore@radioabl.ca.