A great white shark has washed up dead on a B.C. shoreline, exciting both residents and scientists.
Falyn Sahonovitch heard about the shark discovery from a friend on Thursday and decided to go have a look on the east coast of Haida Gwaii at the Halibut Bight Rest Area.
“It’s once in a lifetime,” she tells Glacier Media. “The size is pretty incredible.”
Jackie King, a shark research scientist with the Department of Fisheries and Ocean Canada confirms the species is a great white.
“It is a great white shark, which is quite exciting for a lot of people, myself included," she says.
There are 14 species of sharks in B.C. and many people confuse great whites for salmon sharks. DFO was able to investigate the shark on Haida Gwaii and King says there are identifiable features.
“The location of the fins relative to one another, between the great white and the salmon shark, the tail fin, and the way it shaped, particularly at the top, is a defining character, and more specifically, is the shape of the tooth,” she says.
A photograph of the shark's tail and a tooth was provided to DFO by a resident in Haida Gwaii.
“It’s about 13 and a half feet which, of course, in my mind is huge,” she says.
Great white sharks can grow up to almost six metres or 19 feet in length.
King says the discovery is a very rare occurrence in B.C.
"It's not unheard of, but it is exceptionally rare,” she says. “Great white sharks capture the imagination of the public in general."
Why the shark washed up on shore is not known, but King says they might be able to get more details.
“They're magnificent creatures, but sometimes these things happen. And whether it's natural reasons, wildlife interaction or human interaction, I can't tell you,” she says.
Great whites have been spotted off Haida Gwaii, but this is a solid piece of evidence that great white sharks do occur in our water.
“When we get more sightings like this, it is part of the change in ecosystems, or in this instance, the global climate change story,” she says.
People did use DFO’s shark reporting line, which King says is great news.
“We are able to help the general public understand what species they are,” says King.
Council of the Haida Nation confirmed a shark was found on Thursday and that it was dissected with a seal in its belly.
“It’s incredible, the teeth are amazing, the gills are amazing, everything about this animal is amazing, terrifying… but beautiful,” says Sahonovitch.
The entire island is making a stir about the discovery, she explains. Many people want parts of the animal, including its teeth.
“It’s definitely thrilling,” says Sahonovitch. “Obviously, swimming is out of the question.”
The remote community of Haida Gwaii is no stranger to animals washing up on its shores.
In 2023, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) investigated dead humpback whales washing up on B.C. shorelines, including ones on Haida Gwaii.
DFO asks anyone who sees a shark to report it online here.
Akelly@glaciermedia.ca