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                  Capt. Tom's Guide to New England Sharks
DGtiger2.JPG (26657 bytes)  Updated June 23, 2009   -  Scituate, Massachusetts
  e-mail  me at  capt.tom@comcast.net
  This site is  about the New England shark species. 
  There is also general information on Sharks.   
  This site also contains recreational shark fishing information. |
Links to the site pages are at the bottom of each page.

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  Photos of New England sharks  would be appreciated.
  Recent Updates: June 23, 2009 added in a photo on the porbeagle page.   
Apr. 2nd - Cape Cod Life Magazine, 30th Anniversary Issue, has a shark article at http://www.capecodlife.com/results/30ANN_Sharks.  
At the beginning of the article there is an audio link to an interview they did with me. 

  My white shark article in the January, 2009 Issue of On The Water has an  incorrect statement; saying that white sharks have 3,000  teeth.  That error was put in by the editor, and not by me.  White sharks have a total of about 300 teeth, and not 3,000.    
  Shark sighting reports can be made at this link     http://www.masharks.com/Pages/sightings2.html

How much do they weigh?

FLength.jpg (8910 bytes)
These are approx. weights for average build sharks
Measured from tip of snout to the fork of the tail
Fork length Blue Mako Porbeagle Thresher Fork length
10 feet 410-500 lbs. 732 See note below. ???  lbs. 10 feet
9.5 340-410 623 ??? 9.5
9.0 300-340 526 530 lbs. ??? 9.0
8.5 253 439 440 lbs. 498 8.5
8 feet 209 lbs. 363 370 lbs. 427 lbs. 8 feet
7.5 171 297 300 lbs. 363 7.5
7 138 239 260 lbs. 305 7
6.5 109 189 210lbs. 253 6.5
6 feet 85 lbs. 147 165 207 lbs. 6 feet
Fork length Blue Mako Porbeagle Thresher Fork length

Notes:  There is a new porbeagle weight/fork length tables available.  It may be based on curved fork length instead of straight line fork length. I have talked to the person who measured 246 porbeagles for the new table.  Curved fork length will be longer than straight line length measured on the same individual fish. When comparing tables  CFL table fish will weight less than (straight line)FL for the same table length. I am holding off on publishing the new table until I can get it clarified and make it understandable.

To estimate a white sharks weight, use the mako table and add 5%.   Whites will grow much larger than makos, so  I put a  10 foot to 16 foot Fork Length table on the white shark page. 

Nat. Marine fisheries Service has a good shark weight and length calculator on eight shark species.  All of the eight shark species in the calculator come into the New England area.  The calculator can be reached at:    Nat. Marine Fisheries (sharks) This calculator may be updated for the porbeagle, based on the new study which measured 246 specimens. The calculator is based on 14 specimens weighed in the past.

Intl. Game Fish Assn.
Men's all tackle world records
Blue Mako Porbeagle Thresher
528 lbs.
Montauk N.Y.
Aug. 9, 2001
Joe Seidel

 

 

 1,221 lbs.
Chatham, Mass.
July 21, 2001
Luke Sweeney
 		 507 lbs.
Pentland Firth, Scotland
March 9, 1993
Christopher Bennett

 

 

 767 lbs. Alopias vulpinus
Bay of Islands, NZ
Feb. 26, 1983
D.L. Hannah

 
Women's all tackle world records
Blue Mako Porbeagle Thresher
422 lbs.
Te Kaha, NZ
Feb. 23, 1994
Martha Walker

 

 911 lbs.
Palm Beach, Fla.
April 9, 1962
Audrey Cohen

 

 369 lbs.
Looe, England July 20, 1970
Patricia W. Smith

 

 802 lbs.A.  superciliosis 
Tutukaka, NZ
Feb. 8, 1981
Dianne North

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Next in sequence:  sandtiger sharks.

 

Below are links to all the pages on the website.
These links will be at the bottom of every page to help you navigate the site.
Scientific names             Explains the use of common and scientific names of sharks.
New England Sharks      
Tells what shark species come into our coastal New England  waters. 		Species by month           Relationship of blue, thresher, mako and  porbeagle populations during different months.
Thresher Shark            A whole page devoted to the Thresher, Alopias vulpinus. Blue shark                   A whole page devoted to the Blue, Prionace glauca. Lamnidae shark family         Gives characteristics of this interesting shark family. 
Shortfin Mako              A whole page devoted to the shortfin mako, Isurus oxyrinchus. 
With some info on the longfin mako.
Isurus paucus.		 Porbeagle                  A whole page devoted to the Porbeagle, Lamna nasus. ID sharks at sea            Suggestions on how to identify free swimming mako, blue, porbeagle and thresher sharks.,
Shark Tables               Shark length /weight tables and some IGFA records.

  Sandtiger Sharks 
 Making a come back
in Mass. Bay    
         

 New England Whites         Information on white sharks in New England waters.  Info on 3 fatal New England shark attacks. 
Mako or porbeagle?       How to differentiate these two  sharks.
Also has a shark Quiz 		Sharky Links     
Links to other shark sites.
Books on sharks
Recommended reading		 Mass. Bay makos   Photos, and some additional info on makos.
What is a shark ??  Explains how to identify a shark, and distinguish male and female sharks.  bbgkent72dpilogo.jpg (5036 bytes) Oak Bluffs
Monster Shark
Tournament
Information

Fishing Charters
 Whale watching  
Coastal cruises  
Out of Scituate Mass.
Fishing Massachusetts Bay
Shark fishing gear for the beginner.
What you'll need to get started.    		Chumming up sharks for viewing or catching.   How to do this most important task of attracting sharks. How to battle that trophy mako. Some tips to keep you from bungling away a trophy mako.
Jumping mako video clip at end.
Lets go sharkfishing
Gives you an idea of what to expect out there.

Capt. Bill Brown
Sharkfishing

 Fishing For Porbeagles
By Captain Steve James

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