IN light of recent reported shark attacks in the North, and alleged sightings of great white sharks off the coast of Wailevu, Cakaudrove, shark expert Andrew Paris says these species were not alien to Fiji waters.
Mr Paris said to his knowledge, both killer whales and great white sharks had been observed in Fiji waters but the sightings were not common. “These are transient species and undertake long-distance movements across oceans,” he said.
“A friend of mine observed a pair of killer whales in January, 2019 at Frigates Passage, 20 kilometres west- southwest of Beqa Island.
“Far from rumours, there have been scientific reports of great white sharks in Fiji which seem to vindicate vague reports of ‘white shark’ attacks and a few other anecdotal reports of great white sightings in Fiji.”
Mr Paris referred to Grim, a 2.8-metre great white shark which became the first of its kind in New Zealand to be fitted with a spot, tagged by a marine biologist and a team of researchers.
Marine biologist Clinton Duffy later revealed that according to tracking records, Grim first appeared inside a lagoon near Plantation Island Resort in the Mamanuca Group and spent most of its time in the channel between the two main islands of Vanua Levu and Viti Levu.
Meanwhile, between 1840 and 2016, a total of 53 great white shark attacks had been reported in Fiji and recorded by Shark Attack Data.
