A STRANGER IN ITS OWN WATERS: The North Pacific's Mysterious Salmon Shark by Doug Ogden and John Perna

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The day broke bright and warm, not unlike most mid-July mornings in Southcentral Alaska, a perfect opportunity to go fishing. Begun at an hour designed to avoid the rush hour commuters bound for Anchorage from Girdwood, my trek commenced with an easy sixty-mile jaunt down the scenic highway along Turnagain Arm.

My goal was to be at the new tunnel that had only recently begun to provide road access to Whittier by it's opening for traffic at 6:00 a.m., a town formerly reachable on the ground only by train. Arriving just before the anointed hour, I had an opportunity to reflect for a moment, taking the time to refill my coffee and anticipate the day ahead while the fouled air in the tunnel was exhausted.

A veteran of countless Alaskan fishing expeditions, I was nonetheless unable to quell the rising excitement I felt at the prospect of a new adventure. On this day we were in search of the enigmatic salmon shark and seeking a personal audience with the great predator was fueling my growing impatience.

Although the weather on the west side of the isthmus that separates Prince William Sound from Cook Inlet was glorious, blue sky and barely a breath of wind, the climate in Whittier was as drab as the architecture - gray and not very warm. Whittier was built as a supply depot during World War II in typical government style, and it hasn't changed much since.

I met up with Matt, our charter Captain, and the other three anglers as we were led to a very clean and comfortable aluminum boat, the Aleashia, operated by Wet-n-Wild Charters. With the five of us easily stowed in the heated cabin, we embarked on our journey.

Twelve miles of travel down the fjord-like Passage Canal, another ten across the mouth of Port Wells and on through Wells Passage and we had finally reached the relatively open waters of Prince William Sound.

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The semi-protected waters of the sound are still vast enough that big water can come up quickly, causing even much larger crafts to bear heed, though nature was with us on this morning. We traversed about 45 more miles, around Fool Island, the Dutch Group, and Naked Island before crossing the shipping lanes used by the super tankers hauling North Slope oil to the lower 48. Easy rolling seas and a nonexistent chop were our companions as the 65 total miles of travel were completed in less than two hours, cruising to our fishing grounds off the shores of Hinchinbrook Island at a brisk 40 knots.

This side of Hinchinbrook is hardy and windblown, with basalt cliffs and broken, jagged beaches facing into the Gulf of Alaska. Our location was just a few short miles south of the now infamous Bligh Reef of Exxon Valdez fame, though today there is no indication that the area had been touched by man either this year or any other in a millennia. The sea birds were dancing all around the boat, and no sooner than we arrived, our quarry, the salmon shark, were seen jumping, their full bodies arching out of the water as they busily gave chase to schools of pink salmon.

The scene of 300-pound and larger sharks splashing all around us was a sight to behold, the flash of an occasional group of pinks darting under the hull of our boat in search of some refuge only adding to their predatory image.

Matt had instructed us on the way out what we would be doing and how, indicating a setup totally unique to me. A very large 'J' hook with about 20 feet of steel leader was baited with a whole side of pink salmon, and then a 16-ounce banana weight was attached to the 150-pound Pro Line high-tech line on the reel. That part wasn't what had piqued my attention; it was the balloon. After letting out a bait and about 40 feet of line, he tied on a bright red balloon, then setting out another 100-foot-plus of the heavy line.

The concept's worth soon became apparent as we began to move, the balloons keeping the line far from the boat and the bait near the surface at the same time. We trolled slowly with our five halibut rods secured in holders, the drag on the big Penn reels set loose enough that the slightest increase in tension would cause them to start clicking.

We had barely finished deploying all four lines when we got what we came for, the first balloon disappearing from the surface in a whisp of air and barely discernible splash of water. One of my fellow anglers was tasked with the first set, and quickly moved to tighten the drag, barely grabbing the rod before it bowed in an unrelenting bend. With an at best feeble tug against the weight and power of his adversary, he set the hook, initiating the struggle to come.

The fight was on…and on, and on. Due to a stubborn, but understandable, desire to stay deep in the water and a slightly less than locked down drag on the reel, it was only after five or six spool-emptying runs and an hour and 15 minutes that the shark was brought to the boat, and only then after being dispatched with a .410. Although the weather was cool, our successful angler was down to a t-shirt, barely able to stand and the prospect of lifting his arms a laughable notion. He had certainly earned our respect by landing the beast, his 150 pounds up against the 350 of the shark, though we weren't completely sure who had been winning the battle until 'the equalizer' was employed.

The flesh of a salmon shark is boneless, its spinal column being comprised of cartilage and any ribs noticeably absent. This fact makes for a very nice piece of meat. The texture is that of soft pork and it carries a subtle taste not at all fishy, though there is one piece of information that must be emphasized. Sharks must be bled and gutted as soon as possible. Proper attention to immediately getting the fish field dressed makes the difference between good and bad tasting meat. The salmon sharks contain excessive amounts of uric acid that is expelled into the flesh if the animal is not dressed immediately - the longer it takes to accomplish this task, the more chance of the acid tainting the meat.

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We all worked together and pulled the fish onto the swim board and secured it with ropes, watching after that as Matt demonstrated the dressing techniques. One other note to remember - sharks cannot be dragged across anything. They will not slide. Even if you can move the shark, it will sandpaper the surface of whatever it crosses, an undesirable effect to be sure, unless you're planning on repainting your boat anyway.

When all of the excitement generated by the successful catch had ebbed, we eagerly set to getting our lines back in, each anticipating our turn. It wasn't long before another balloon went under, and this time the shark wasn't quite so adamant in its own defense and was brought to the boat in less than twenty minutes.

Throughout the day, we hooked four and landed three, the largest tipping the scales at nearly 400 pounds. The ride back to Whittier was on bigger water and pounded us a bit, but between a day in the fresh sea air and fighting these behemoths, sleep did not come hard. We arrived in the harbor to more than a few curious onlookers, both locals and visitors, the sight of these sharp-toothed gray monsters lying on the dock a scene for even the old salts to behold. A sheaf of pictures taken and coolers brimming with meat, we were on our way back to Anchorage, the culmination of a successful shark fishing adventure now a favorite memory to be stored away amongst the best of my Alaskan fishing tales.

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The Salmon Shark

The salmon shark is one of ten shark species known to occur in Alaskan waters, and most evidence indicates it is the predominant large predatory fish in the North Pacific. Large, powerful, streamlined predators adapted for high-speed swimming, they are seen as direct competitors for commercially important species that include salmon, sablefish, and herring.

A member of the family Lamnidae, the salmon shark is one of the many mackeral sharks. Some close relatives include the Great White and the Mako, but its closest kin would be its Atlantic counterpart, Lamna nasus.

Appearing in many parts of the world including the North Atlantic, the North Sea, and off the coasts of England, Scotland, Iceland, New Foundland, and New England, plus the corresponding latitudes in the southern hemisphere, it goes without saying that the salmon shark can be confused with a variety of common sharks. Depending on where you are in the world, it can be called the Porbeagle, bluedog, mackeral shark, or bonito shark, though, in reality, it is none of these. The salmon shark is a unique species. It is related to the Porbeagle (Lamna nasus) and the mackeral shark, but has no direct relation to the bluedog or blue shark.

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Inhibiting coastal and oceanic waters in the North Pacific, the salmon shark seems to prefer colder water (5-18°C) and occur from surface waters to at least 500 feet. With limited research available, it is difficult to assess the exact seasonal distribution of the shark, but it seems there is some annual north-south movement. Apparently, female salmon sharks travel south to pup in the spring off the Oregon and California coasts.

They reproduce by producing eggs that hatch within the female body, bearing live young. The best research indicates that they may reproduce annually with as many as five pups, though it would be unusual as most northern species of sharks are generally slow to reproduce. Gestation is not well documented but may be around nine months. It has been estimated that the male reaches maturity at five years, the female at eight or nine years, and they live a life of at least 25 years.

The salmon shark has a high metabolic rate and maintains an internal body temperature above that of the surrounding water by use of a heat exchange system. The nearly 80°F that they are believed to hover near is perhaps the highest body temperature of any shark. Average size range appears to be between six and a half feet to eight feet in length and about 400 pounds, though some salmon sharks in Prince William Sound have been estimated to reach twelve feet and close to 1,000 pounds.

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Unique characteristics make the salmon shark easy to identify. Dark gray on top, they have a white underbelly with random gray spotting. There is a double keel located on the lower lobe of the tail fin, a feature unique among sharks except for the salmon shark's sister taxon, the Lamna nasus. Part of the name Lamna ditropis is derived from this feature, as ditropis literally means double keel.

It has been speculated that the salmon shark is one of the fastest animals in the seas, and judging by what it primarily feeds on, it would have to be fast. Salmon, squid, and herring area few of the sharks' favorite dishes, and they can all move quickly enough. With no air bladder, salmon sharks are able to change depths at great speeds, a feature that comes in handy as a hunting technique. During a research project in Prince William Sound a few years ago, researchers watched from shark cages as schools of salmon hid in the shadows of the boat and sharks loomed up from the murky depths at incredible speeds, surfacing directly into the schools of fish.

Another particular feature is the tail fin, a characteristic also rare among shark species. Most sharks' upper lobe is twice the length of the lower, though the salmon shark's lower tail lobe typically runs 60-90% of the length of the upper tail fin. They also have longer than usual gill slits and solid black eyes.

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In Alaska

There is some debate as to salmon shark populations in Alaskan waters. Some suggest that in recent years their numbers have increased dramatically, though old-time Alaskans will tell you the species has been present in great numbers for a long time. In the 1940s and '50s, there were even shark fishing derbies in Seward.

During the summer of 1996, a small commercial harvest took place, with fisherman at first using purse seine gear and landing as many as 40 to 50 sharks at one time, a process that proved to be chaotic to say the least. They then used surface longline gear to average around three sharks an hour. This is a testament to reports by pilots and others that have detailed sightings of huge aggregations of salmon sharks in the sound. In August 2000, an Alaska Shark Assessment Program spotter pilot reported 2,000 sharks near the surface at Port Gravina, Prince William Sound. Citing a lack of biological information, the Alaska Board of Fisheries ended the commercial harvesting of salmon sharks in the sound in 1997.

Also in 2000, with support from the Valdez Oil Spill Trustees Council and Fish & Game, the National Marine Fisheries Service started the Alaska Shark Assessment Program. The team, led by federal biologists, came to study shark populations in Prince William Sound and to try to gather additional information as well. With additional support from commercial fishermen and sportfishing charter captains, they are gathering as much information as possible while attempting to fill in some of the blanks.

Sharks of any kind have never been easy to study, but these researchers have employed some of today's technological advances as aids, inserting satellite transmitters (biotelemetry tags) which can provide data on habitat use, spatial and temporal movements, and feeding behavior among other things.

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