Many loss of lives at Sea are

often attributed to shark attacks.

Though some species of sharks are

known as killers, quite a few are

small and rarely cauSe serious injuries.

Three species of sharks which grow

to larger sizes from 15 to 50 feet are

considered harmless to man

Aravindakshan, M

CMFRI Digital Repository

Shark Attacks in Indian Seas M. Aravindakshan C. M. F. R. I. Substation, Bombay Many loss of lives at Sea are often attributed to shark attacks. Though some species of sharks are kno wn as killers, quite a few are small and rarely cauSe serious injuries. Three species of sharks which grow to larger sizes from 15 to 50 feet are considered harmless to man . They are the Whale shark (Rhynodon typus), the Basking shark (Ha/sydrus sp.) and the thresher shark (A/opias vu/pinus). The Whale shark is the biggest living fish and grows to a length of more than 40 fe et . Thi s shark feed s On small organisms of th e plankton by filtering the water through the gill rakers. However irrefutabl e evidence such as shark's te eth in wounds Or finding of missing portions of the victim's body in the stomach justifies the lurking fe ar of these creatures in the minds of those associated with the sea, viz . bathers on the beaches, und er-water spear fish ermen and ship-wreck and other sea survi vo rs . In India there have been reports of loss of human lives owing to shark attack . A shark caught off Verso va, Bombay showed human skeletal remains when its stomach was cut open in the m .. ket. Speci es identity was not establ ished because of the qu ick disposa l of th e shark before a proper' investig atio n was car ried out. It is important that correct identification is November 1981 made so th at future preventive mea-sures can be adopted This is also necessary for conserva tion of the species of sharks which are not harmful. to man. The following are the impor-tant species of sharks known to· attack human beings and cause seriou s. injuries or even death. CHARCHARODAN CHARCHARIAS : This is known as the "White-shark" and is th e most dangerous of all the species, It has been known to follow ships for long distances and' are th e dread of sailors. They attack on least provoca tion . Though thi s spec ies may not be represented in· Our waters there are members belong-ing to the Genus Charcharias which, are capable of growing to 20 f eet or more and must be approached with caution. Charcharias me/anoptera attains 10 fee t or more in length . Another known attacker is the Whaler shark (Carcharinus macrurus) , especially in Australian wat ers. GALEOCERDO CUVIER Al so known as th e 'Tiger' shark, attains 15 feet in length. Though a voracious scavenger is known to attack man, entering shallow waters . The peculiar structure of the tooth of thi s shark makes the identification easy in caSe any tooth mark is left on the body of th e victim . 29 PRIONACE GLAUCA Is another aggressive shark known 10 attack man in Au stralian waters. It is also known as t he 'Blue shark' on account of the bluish co lour of its back. The extension of this species 10 Indi an ocean is to be investigated , CHARCHARINUS GANGETICUS This Indian sea shark is very .ggressive and has been known to attack bathers of the Ganges. Very rarely the shark is known to have carried away its victims which is credited as owing to the close proximity of {)ther bathers and their attempt to 'rescue the attacked victim , Some scientists are of op;nion that th e shark .(e, gangeticus) may have acqu ired th e habit of eat ing the flesh of corpses 1hrown into the Ganges after partial . burning. The sharks aquiring taste for ,human flesh turn into man ea ters . There has not been many caSes of shark attacks in Indian waters as :h ave been recorded from Australia or the United States. The reason may be that the bathing resorts are not as popular in India as in those countries 30 which attract huge crowds. Howeve r in India with the d evelopment of tourism the bathing resorts are likely to attract more bathers. It need not be emphasised that there should be also security measures t aken to avoid possible shark attracks on unwary bathers. In other countries measures such as lookout towers, meshing of the beaches etc. have been pro v ided, Application of shark repeilent chemi-cals on the body has been tri ed . The meshing of the beach is reported as mosi effective. The sharks force their way through the mesh and do not retrace and thus get caught. The t idal influences and the corrosion of the metal owing to its co ntact wiih sea water make frequent replacements of the f ences inevitabl e and expensive. But such a measure results in saving . valuable human lives . REFERENCES : (1) COPPLESON J. M . 'Shark Attack' 1969 (2) MUNRO IYAN S, R, 'The M arine and fresh w ater fishes of Ceylon' 0. Seafood Export Journal 

Shark attacks in Indian seas

http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/7491/1/504-SEAFOOD_EXPORT_JOURNAL_1981.pdf

Shark attacks in Indian seas

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

CMFRI Digital Repository