The white shark appears to have gotten a bad rap — at least in Hawaii waters.
According to a study that included a review of sightings, photographs, news accounts and scientific reports, white sharks have been frequently misidentified with similar-looking sharks, such as makos.
It’s a recurring problem, the study says.
"Occurrence of White Sharks in Hawaiian Waters," which was published in the Journal of Marine Biology, was written by Kevin Weng of the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology and Randy Honebrink of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources Aquatic Resources Division.
The study notes that shortly after a tiger shark killed surfer Billy Weaver off Lanikai in 1958, several white sharks were killed in a shark-culling program. And more recently, misidentification of the white shark occurred Jan. 12, 2012, when a shortfin mako shark was captured in a video off Kaena Point. It was reported around the world that the shark was a white shark in a video that went viral, and the error continues to this day.
Satellite tracking studies have previously shown that Hawaii’s white sharks are migrants from population centers off California and Mexico, SOEST said in a news release.Only a small number migrate as far as Hawaii, and therefore they are rarely seen.
Weng said there is no evidence white sharks reside or pup in Hawaii.
Weng, manager of the Pelagic Fisheries Research program, said a key part of the study was finding that white sharks occur in Hawaii year-round, contrary to prior studies saying they appear chiefly during springtime.
"We learned that white sharks occur across a broader part of the annual cycle than previously thought," he said.
He said while male white sharks tend to appear from December through June, the females appear year-round. He said other scientists have suggested warmer temperatures may speed up fetal development.
Weng said in the last 100 years, there has been only one confirmed attack by a white shark in Hawaii waters — that one occurring March 8, 1969, when a 16-year-old surfer had his surfboard bitten 100 yards offshore.
Weng said one of the reasons for fewer attacks by white sharks is that there are fewer in Hawaii than tiger sharks.
The study suggests new ways to distinguish between white sharks and other shark species, in light of misidentifications.
One difference is that white sharks have a less acute head shape than mako sharks.
