As a plant ecologist I usually write about the flora and fauna of Nantucket by land. However, I happen to be married to a fisherman. Sometimes I see or hear about something, and it makes me want to learn more. This past weekend, while on a fishing charter, my husband’s client had an unexpected surprise when reeling in a striped bass. Something “big” suddenly tugged on the line. What seemed like a decent-sized bass at first turned into a heavy haul pulling out line demonstrative of something much larger. Just then, maybe 20 feet from the stern of the boat, an 8-foot shark leapt into the air, striper in its jaws. One half of the striper did eventually make it into the boat, but the talk of the crew that day was all about the “giant” shark that trailed them and even came close enough for some great videos. The shark, it turns out, was a porbeagle. Apparently, at least four other boats had similar porbeagle encounters that weekend as humans and sharks “battled” for the available stripers. A common, but exciting sight when fishing offshore.
