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<\/p>\nThe 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not a species that you see inshore and it\u2019s not one that I\u2019d ever expect to see in Bedford Basin and in super shallow water,\u201d Hammerschlag said.<\/p>\n
The shark was spotted swimming near the Bedford Basin Yacht Club and drew considerable attention because of its size and proximity to shore.<\/p>\n
Basking sharks are the second-largest fish in the world and can reach several metres in length.<\/p>\n
Despite their size, Hammerschlag says they pose no danger to people.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are actually harmless to humans,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The animals feed by swimming with their mouths open and filtering plankton, including tiny crustaceans and fish eggs, from the water.<\/p>\n
Rare even for a shark researcher<\/p>\n
Hammerschlag says the species is not unusual in the broader waters off Nova Scotia, but encounters are still uncommon.<\/p>\n
He says the basking sharks he has previously seen have been in deep water, many kilometres offshore.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m out all the time on the water, and I see lots of great white sharks and other things, but I think I\u2019ve only seen a basking shark in real life once,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Videos from Bedford also showed the shark making tight circles and appearing to thrash in shallow water.<\/p>\n
Hammerschlag says that behaviour was not typical.<\/p>\n
One possibility is that the animal had become stressed or disoriented after entering shallow water.<\/p>\n
Another is that it may have been using the seafloor to scratch parasites from its body.<\/p>\n
He says there is no way to know for certain without further observation.<\/p>\n
For those who managed to see it, Hammerschlag says the encounter was something to appreciate.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a rare animal and it\u2019s completely harmless, eats plankton,\u201d he said. \u201cConsider yourself lucky if you were one of those that got to see it in person.\u201d<\/p>\n
There have been no reported sightings since the weekend.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n