Caption/Credit: Head and mouth of shark just before release. Rope was wrapped around shark’s head. CCS image.
PROVINCETOWN – The Marine Animal Entanglement Response Team from the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown disentangled a basking shark Thursday in Cape Cod Bay.
The estimated 18 foot long shark was anchored in fishing gear just outside of Provincetown Harbor.
Rescue officials said it was severely weakened by the entanglement but the team was hopeful it will make a full recovery.
The shark was reported to the Center for Coastal Studies’ emergency hotline by a charter fisherman.
The team was already on the water conducting research with the Center’s Humpback Whale Studies program.
Although their dorsal fin is sometimes mistaken for that of a white shark, basking sharks are toothless filter feeders whose diet consists of plankton, small fish and invertebrates.
Basking sharks are the second largest species of fish, reaching up to 40 feet in length.
Boaters are urged to report any entanglement sightings of whales, sea-turtles or sharks to the MAER Hotline (1-800-900-3622) or the US Coast Guard on VHF 16.
