Shark week
A Porbeagle shark, which found beached up in Derrymore,was over 10 feet long. Val Burke, a Curraheen resident, says it’s believed to be a female shark which had come in to give birth to pups, but got stranded on an embankment.
CURRAHEEN native Val Burke came across a significant discovery recently on Derrymore beach – a Porbeagle Shark measuring over 10 feet that sadly died after becoming stranded on an embankment at low tide.
The shark species is common enough in the waters around Tralee Bay and Kerry Head, where they drift inshore to give birth and avail of the plentiful supply of plankton in the surrounding waters. Rare as it is, there have been cases of Porbeagle Sharks washed ashore in Kerry in the past.
Marine Biologist Kevin Flannery said the Porbeagle’s appearance is strikingly similar to that of the Great White Shark with its ‘pointer’ features. Kevin explains that the sharks follow the shoals of fish around the time of the May moon when their young can fatten up by feeding in shallower waters.
Kevin is even hearing of unusual shark activity in places like the
Blackwater in County Kilkenny and Rodgerstown in County Dublin. The net-free activity in such waters is being cited as one reason why the sharks have more freedom to move in and source food.
“The Tralee Bay and the north Kerry coast is what I call the ‘Serengeti’ for rays and sharks as it’s where they come to have their young and feed,” Kevin said.
“The runoff from the Shannon River creates huge plankton, which allows them to raise their young. It’s a whole eco-system, and everything is inter related from the sharks, starfish and spider crap to the oyster,” Kevin said.
The discovery of a Porbeagle
Shark follows on the back of recent dolphin activity in Blennerville, Brandon and Cloghane, while a beached whale was also discovered in Ballybunion.
“It’s all part of the breeding cycle that’s all part of evolution. It’s fascinating and we need to protect and help save them when we can,” Kevin said.