‘Incredible’ video shows white sharks seen eating dead whale off N.S. coast

A fewer boaters enjoying an day outing disconnected nan seashore of Port Mouton, N.S., were successful awe this play erstwhile an alarming show appeared a short region distant — arsenic 4 white sharks were caught feasting connected a dormant humpback whale successful nan adjacent water.

Bill Vienneau, a fisherman who lives successful nan area, said he went retired connected his vessel successful hunt of nan whale connected Friday day aft proceeding that a ample animal was floating nearby.

Although it didn’t return him agelong to spot nan whale, he wasn’t nan first to return notice.

“As soon arsenic I came up connected it and turned nan vessel around, location was 1 (shark) that latched connected it correct away,” he said during an question and reply pinch Global News connected Monday.

“I’m arsenic shark-crazy arsenic anybody else, I guess. You don’t get to spot them very often, truthful erstwhile there’s an opportunity, you spell watch them.”

Shortly after, a video of nan sharks was uploaded to Facebook — arsenic group received entree to nan spectacle that occurred conscionable metres extracurricular of Vienneau’s boat, attracting wide attraction online.

Vienneau said retired of nan 4 achromatic sharks devouring nan deceased whale, he estimated nan largest to beryllium measured astatine astir 14 feet — astir balanced to nan size of his vessel.

“When it comes up correct adjacent to your boat, it’s beautiful impressive. They’re a chaotic looking animal,” he continued, acknowledging that witnessing specified an occurrence might’ve been a once-in-a-lifetime acquisition for him.

“It’s not very often that a whale lands successful your backyard and is conscionable location floating around. And mother quality is doing its thing, rhythm of life. So, it’s not going to waste. The sharks are taking attraction of what’s there.”

Shark sightings occurring crossed nan province

Tonya Wimmer, an executive head astatine nan Marine Animal Response Society (MARS), said her statement initially received a study connected July 2 astir nan dormant whale floating done nan area.

“It wasn’t excessively adjacent to statement (at nan time). We don’t person boats and nan resources to spell out, cod nan carcass, and do much erstwhile they’re retired floating astatine oversea for illustration that,” she said.

As for nan sharks, Wimmer described nan footage arsenic “incredible.”

Although it mightiness beryllium off-putting to some, she said nan deceased whale is offering valuable nutrients to its underwater neighbours.

“When a whale passes and is successful nan ocean, arsenic mother quality intends, they really go really important nutrient sources for different animals,” she said.

“That’s what we’re seeing pinch these achromatic sharks. They are a type that are known to eat connected a wide scope of prey, and it’s been well-documented that they will provender connected a caller whale carcass.”

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She said during past discoveries of dormant whales successful nan area, whether it’s on nan Bay of Fundy aliases into nan Gulf of Saint Lawrence, it hasn’t been uncommon to find wound wounds connected nan carcass.

“It does hap rather often successful immoderate places if, of course, location are sharks successful those area,” she said.

Wimmer said achromatic sharks are nan largest shark type successful Nova Scotia waters and often provender connected fish, whales, and seals.

“White sharks successful Canada are an endangered species. They’re really successful rather debased numbers compared to what they utilized to be,” she said, adding that researchers are progressively conducting studies regarding nan viability of achromatic sharks successful Maritime waters.

Wimmer said shark reports person been “sporadic” successful nan past fewer years and aren’t overwhelmingly constricted to 1 location.

“What we’ve been seeing successful caller years is that there’s been much and much of these animals appearing,” she said, adding that sightings person occurred successful nan Bay of Fundy, southwestern Nova Scotia, extracurricular of Halifax, and Cape Breton.

“It’s each benignant of indications that nan numbers (of sharks) mightiness beryllium ticking up and nan animals mightiness beryllium making much usage of nan residence astir here.”

In circumstances akin to what Vienneau witnessed connected Friday, Wimmer said nan champion people of action erstwhile watching a chaotic animal feeding is rather straightforward — “you time off them to it.”

“It’s really conscionable thing to observe from a distance,” she said.

With files from Megan King and Jake Webb