James RickardSalmon shark--Alaska's own
April 8th 2009 01:17
When it comes to sharks, you think of places like, Hawaii, Australia, and, thanks to "Jaws", Martha's Vineyard. However, not all sharks frequent these tourist meccas. If you're thinking this is the case, meet the Salmon Shark named for the Alaskan treat on which they feast.
Although you may think of sharks as warm water creatures, the Salmon Shark is found in icy waters off Western North America, Iceland, Newfoundland, the Bering Sea, and even European locations such as England or Scotland and regions of the North Atlantic as well as corresponding latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere.
The possibility exists that you've heard of the Salmon Shark by one of the other common names it may possess. Depending on the part of the world you find the creatures, they may be called the Bluedog, Porbeagle, Mackerel Shark or Bonito Shark.
Salmon Sharks usually have a dark gray back, dark patches on their sides and a white underside along with longer than normal gill slits and the usual black eyes associated with sharks. Although studies are incomplete, it's estimated that Salmons can grow to around 10 feet or around 3 meters with 6.5 to 8 feet being the average and can be found down to depths of just under 500 feet. My handy converter says that come out to around 152 meters so, if you want to do any studies at this depth, feel free!
Unlike most other sharks, human interaction with the Salmon Shark is fairly low. Despite this, always remember the Salmon is an apex predator and can swim as fast as a Mako while reaching sizes to equal to or better than any human.
Despite their predatory nature, Salmon Sharks are considered more of a pest to fishermen than a threat to human beings because they often damage nets and steal fish in a effort to gobble up the very fish humans are stalking for their livelihood
AND since this is a fishing blog, we'll warn you to not bother going after Salmon Sharks with line less than 80-pound test and a good, steel leader! Spoons work for bait but, make it easy on yourself and use salmon, squid, or herring along with a rod and tackle heavy enough to handle sharks.
Although you may think of sharks as warm water creatures, the Salmon Shark is found in icy waters off Western North America, Iceland, Newfoundland, the Bering Sea, and even European locations such as England or Scotland and regions of the North Atlantic as well as corresponding latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere.
The possibility exists that you've heard of the Salmon Shark by one of the other common names it may possess. Depending on the part of the world you find the creatures, they may be called the Bluedog, Porbeagle, Mackerel Shark or Bonito Shark.
Although it may look like a Great White, this is a salmon shark.
Salmon Sharks usually have a dark gray back, dark patches on their sides and a white underside along with longer than normal gill slits and the usual black eyes associated with sharks. Although studies are incomplete, it's estimated that Salmons can grow to around 10 feet or around 3 meters with 6.5 to 8 feet being the average and can be found down to depths of just under 500 feet. My handy converter says that come out to around 152 meters so, if you want to do any studies at this depth, feel free!
Unlike most other sharks, human interaction with the Salmon Shark is fairly low. Despite this, always remember the Salmon is an apex predator and can swim as fast as a Mako while reaching sizes to equal to or better than any human.
Despite their predatory nature, Salmon Sharks are considered more of a pest to fishermen than a threat to human beings because they often damage nets and steal fish in a effort to gobble up the very fish humans are stalking for their livelihood
AND since this is a fishing blog, we'll warn you to not bother going after Salmon Sharks with line less than 80-pound test and a good, steel leader! Spoons work for bait but, make it easy on yourself and use salmon, squid, or herring along with a rod and tackle heavy enough to handle sharks.
Until next time--watch your line and watch yourself!
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