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Great White Shark ‘Jameson’ Returns To Cape Cod One Year After Rescue

By Dustin Wicksell
Published on: 08:51 PST, Jul 16, 2016

A juvenile great white shark which made headlines after it became stranded in Cape Cod last summer has returned to the region, according to researchers, nearly one year to the day after its dramatic rescue was broadcast worldwide.

The shark, which was named Jameson by researchers responsible for its return to the ocean, was detected off the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge on June 29, as Boston reports. A tag affixed to Jameson’s back during his rescue has allowed scientists to follow his movements, and on that date, it was registered by a receiver placed by the non-profit Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.

Dr. Greg Skomal, of the Massachusetts State Division of Marine Fisheries, was instrumental in Jameson’s rescue and largely responsible for resuscitating and tagging the juvenile great white. The rescue also involved a concert of authorities working together, including beachgoers as well as Chatham Harbormasters Stuart Smith and Jason Holm, along with members of the conservancy. Following the rescue, footage of the shark writhing on the beach quickly spread online, revealing beachgoers pouring water over the animal in an attempt to save it, even as the shark thrashed about, deprived of its natural habitat.

The shark, which was stranded on July 15, 2015, was likely trapped by a receding tide after following seals into shallow water. A young and inexperienced predator, the animal would have perished if not for the efforts of beachgoers, harbormasters, and the conservancy, all of whom worked to sustain it and return it to the sea. Dr. Skomal and his compatriots dragged Jameson through the water for roughly an hour, according to NECN, performing a type of CPR for the animal before it swam away under its own power. Despite that fact, it was initially unclear whether Jameson would survive the stress of his ordeal.

That question was answered when the conservancy detected the white shark’s tag on July 17, 18, 19, 22, and 23 of last year, proving that the seven-foot-long male shark had indeed survived its unique experience. Like many of his fellow white sharks, 141 of whom were identified off the cape last year by Dr. Skomal and his team, Jameson left the area with the advent of cooler temperatures. As this summer’s weather brought with it warmer waters, Jameson and his ilk have returned in what could be greater numbers, and the conservancy’s research season is already in full swing.

Beginning its third year of a population study focused on the cape’s great white shark population, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy is prepared for the return of Jameson and his fellow sharks like never before. At the beginning of this month, the conservancy released a smartphone app, Sharktivity, which allows Cape Cod beachgoers to track tagged white sharks in the region in near real time. Though only available for Apple phones at this time, an Android version is currently in development, with data also provided to the public on the conservancy’s website. The app allows users to document their own sightings of the local white shark population while integrating certain safeguards to prevent false or hoax reports.

While Jameson was lucky enough to survive his stranding, several other white sharks failed to fare so well when faced with the same circumstances last year. As the Inquisitr previously reported, a much larger and more mature white shark was stranded some weeks after Jameson, unfortunately perishing despite the efforts of beachgoers who attempted to keep it alive. Another great white shark was discovered trapped on a beach later in the season, though it had already expired by the time passers-by stumbled upon it.

[Photo by Elias Levy – Own Work via Flickr | Cropped and Resized | CC BY 2.0]

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