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                  Capt. Tom's Guide to New England Sharks
DGtiger2.JPG (26657 bytes)  Updated August 14, 2008    - Scituate, Massachusetts
  e-mail  me at   mailto:capt.tom@comcast.net
  This site is primarily about the New England shark species. 
  There is also general information on Sharks   
  This site also contains recreational shark fishing information.       

                 Photos of New England sharks  would be appreciated.

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  Recent Updates:  August 14, 2008.  I have an article on big makos in the August issue of On The Water. 

  July 7, 2008 -  Put a shark photo for you to ID on the  new page I have added  

June 17th, 2008 -  Sandtiger sharks Carcharias taurus have started showing up in Mass. waters.
This is a protected species and should be released unharmed. They have been absent for about 50 years in any great numbers, but in the last few years have made a great comeback here. Many are caught by shore fishermen, while using bait for striped bass. 
Go to this page on the website for more information on that species. New England Sharks      
Shark sighting reports can be made at this link     http://www.masharks.com/Pages/sightings2.html

Good Books on Sharks
With the new shark family and species list coming out this year, these books will be somewhat outdated.  They contain good fundamental information on sharks and should be read.

Sharks in Question  the Smithsonian Answer Book
by Victor Springer and Joy P. Gold
ISBN 0-87474-877-1
A great 1989 book on sharks; 187 pages with pictures,  in paperback.
There are more modern books out now, but this is still a good book to have.
I highly recommend this book.  It is a great source of fundamental information and also has some excellent shark photos.  

Sharks and Rays (Time Life Books)
by Tricas, Deacon, Last, Mc Coster, Walker and Taylor
ISBN 0-7835-4940-7
A 1997 book with good pictures and plenty of info., 288 pages in hardcover.
If you are new to shark books, or are going to have only one book on sharks, I would recommend this book.  Mainly because it is relatively up to date, and has good pictures of many shark species. 
Unfortunately, because sharks and rays are related, they have filled up a great portion of this book with info on rays.  Personally I would rather have more info on sharks.  Still, a good book to have.

 

The Sharks of North American Waters
by Jose’ I. Castro.
Texas A&M University Press College Station Texas 77843-4354
ISBN 0-89096-143-3
A 1983 paperback, 180 pages, no pictures, plenty of sketches and good info.
I like it because it is area specific to the sharks we have in the United States.

 

Shark Smart: The Divers Guide to Understanding Shark Behaviour.
by Richard Martin.
Illustrations and 177 pages. 

It' s published in Canada, and is available on the internet from Natural History Book Service.

208 pages
123 black-and white illustrations, including never-before-published photos and specially prepared artwork by acclaimed scientific illustrator,
Alessandro De Maddalena

ISBN: 0-9732395-0-6
Publication date:  30 June 2003

 

 

Send check or money order for US$35, plus US$5 S&H within North America or US$8 S&H overseas, to:

ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research
P.O. Box 48561
595 Burrard Street
Vancouver, BC   V7X 1A3
C A N A D A

 

 

The Spring 1995  issue of Mass. Wildlife, has a great article on N. Eng. sharks by Greg Skomal.

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Next in sequence: a page on New England white sharks
White sharks do enter our New England waters.  

 

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.   Books on Sharks      
         		 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.		 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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