40 



FISHERY BULLETIN OF THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



ported to us recently from the coast of Maine, a few 

 miles east of Casco Bay. 96 



We have never heard of a blue shark in the north- 

 eastern corner of the Gulf, in the Bay of Fundy, 

 nor along western Nova Scotia, whence they may 

 be barred by colder surface waters. But fisher- 

 men are familiar with them off the outer coast of 

 Nova Scotia, both offshore, and also near the coast 

 at the times when the warm surface water presses 

 inshore. 



Blues were reported near Halifax, for instance, 

 from time to time between August 15 and October 

 10, 1920, some coming close in to the entrance to 

 the Harbor. And two specimens have been re- 

 ported at Canso, 96 but whether the "blue dogs" 

 described by local fishermen as common on the 

 neighboring banks actually are this shark, or per- 

 haps the porbeagle, seems doubtful. It has also 

 been recorded from the southwest part of the 

 Grand Bank of Newfoundland. 97 



Following westward from Cape Cod, we find 

 many records of blues from the traps near Woods 

 Hole, and they are often seen (or harpooned) on 

 the continental shelf in the offing. Twenty-eight 

 were counted 4 to 10 miles off Block Island for ex- 

 ample, during one hour, and something like 150 to 

 200 during the day (13 of them were harpooned) on 

 August 22, 1943. 



Most of the blues that are seen or taken off our 

 northern coast are medium sized or larger, though 

 very small ones are taken from time to time. 88 



" By the late Walter H. Rich, who was long associated with the V. S. Bu- 

 reau of Fisheries. 



« Cornish, Contr. Canadian Biol. (1902-1905) 1907, p. 81. 



« Rept. Newfoundland Fish. Res. Lab., 1935, p. 79. 



• ! Robert Goffln reports one only 20 inches long, from Menemsha Bight, 

 near Woods Hole, August 31, 1925; we have seen one of 21 Inches, taken a few 

 miles off Block Island, August 22, 1943; and F. D. Firth reports one 34H inches 

 long taken 65 miles southeast of Highland Light, Cape Cod, on October 23, 

 1930. 



And for some obscure reason all but two of the 

 adults seen in our Gulf, for which we have the per- 

 tinent information, have been males. 



Commercial importance. — This shark is of no 

 commercial value. A few are caught by anglers, 

 mostly on natural bait, and a Blue will sometimes 

 take an artificial lure; we hooked one off Boone 

 Island, Maine, on a feather jig, tipped with pork 

 rind. We have never had blues put up much re- 

 sistance on a heavy hand line until hauled in to the 

 side of the vessel, when they thrash about vio- 

 lently, but it is said that a large one will make long 

 and powerful runs, if hooked on rod and reel. 



The blue shark has always been looked on with 

 contempt by the sperm whalers, who were more 

 familiar with it than anyone else. We find no well- 

 authenticated case of one attacking a swimmer, 

 sailors' yarns to the contrary notwithstanding. 



Sharp nosed shark Scoliodon terrae-nonas 

 (Richardson) 1836 



Bigelow and Schroeder, 1948, p. 295. 

 Garman, 1913, pi. 2, figs. 1-4. 



Description. — This little shark is separable from 

 any other carcharhinid that has yet been reported 

 from the Gulf of Maine or that is likely to be, by its 

 upper and lower teeth which are perfectly smooth 

 along the edges from tip to base, combined with a 

 so-called "labial furrow" of considerable length 

 running forward along each side of each jaw from 

 the corner of the mouth toward the nostril. 

 This last character, while not conspicuous, is a 

 precise one. 



The trunk is slender, highest about at the first 

 dorsal fin, tapering both fore and aft. The snout 

 varies rather widely in length and in bluntness at 

 the tip. The point of origin of the first dorsal fin 



Figure 13. — Sharp-nosed shark (Scoliodon terrae-novae) , female, about 31 inches long, from the Bahamas. From Bigelow 



and Schroeder. Drawing by E. N. Fischer. 



