Great White in Napeague State Park

I suspect commercial bycatch. I know a guy who owned a trawler and would frequently catch sharks including threshers and juvenile white sharks near Jones Beach, They get banged up pretty bad in the net

Very interesting. Personally, I think too much of a coincidence. I've seen two white sharks in my whole life fishing the South Shore of Long Island. I was a lobsterman and a long liner. I can't speak to what the trauma would look like from being pulled up by a trawler. But I would stop well short of even implying. Hard working folks who are already taking a beating. I'm not sure why there would be any need to slice open a shark like that. Doesn't seem like it would help to extricated from equipment.

Roccus7 said:

Truly a "No Chit Sherlock" Moment. Years ago, Ben Tadsen in Moriches had a mounted GW pup hanging in his shop. Someone caught it outside the inlet while chumming for bluefish; back then nailing a mako pup bluefishing was not at all unusual. I saw the shark from the shop's doorway and said, "Oh, look at the cute Mako!" My Buddy responded by saying, "Take a look at the teeth!" I looked into the maw and cried out "Holy Crap, it's a baby White!!!"

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That's why I have to speak up a little on behalf of the commercial guys. I cut my teeth on six-pack sporty charter boats during the 80s. Jaws had come out and there were a lot more sport fisherman killing sharks than commercial fisherman. I was one of them. Not judging.

I had to check my timeline because I knew that Jaws had come out earlier. From '79 to '82 it was sportfishing charters that I was doing. Jaws came out in '75, but in the early 80s on Eastern LI there was a lot of money being spent in marinas and a lot of guys wanted to catch their own shark. Jaws was on our radar still. From '82-86 I went commercial. Harder work. Better money.

KayakFisherman said:

That's why I have to speak up a little on behalf of the commercial guys. I cut my teeth on six-pack sporty charter boats during the 80s. Jaws had come out and there were a lot more sport fisherman killing sharks than commercial fisherman. I was one of them. Not judging.

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I didn't mean it in a negative way. More of a matter of fact way. I can remember days when bluefin tuna were ripping up gill nets off the south shore, and these smaller sharks are probably feeding on the tons of bunker we have inshore. I don' think it's someone targeting them. That's for sure.

There are 3 skimmer clam dredge boats working inshore to the east of Shinnecock, and have been there for a couple of months. There are a LOT of pup whites in the surf this year,a lot more than usual due to the acres of bunker in the area. Some recreational and commercial fishing interaction is inevitable.