VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Researchers with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science caught a Great White shark off the coast of Virginia Beach last week. The shark was caught about three and a half miles off the coast in the Sandbridge section of Virginia Beach.
“For size reference the small shark was 4 feet. We estimated the mature male great white at 12-13 feet!” the organization posted on Facebook.
The shark was able to break free of the line before he could be brought on the boat.
The Virginia Institute of Marine Science study of mid-Atlantic sharks helped lead to the 1993 U.S. management plan for sharks.
“At the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, systematic study of mid-Atlantic sharks began in 1973 with the VIMS Shark Survey, which now stands as the one of the longest-running fishery-independent studies of shark populations in the world. This longline survey brought global attention to significant declines in shark populations due to overfishing,” the group reported. “As fishing regulations help shark populations rebound in U.S. waters, data from shark research programs at VIMS continue to inform stock assessments and fishery management plans at federal and state levels.”
