On a recent Sunday, Roy Cabal, who works at Twin Creeks Beach and Trail Rides in Pacific City, spotted something unusual while at the beach: a small shark stranded in the sand near Bob Straub State Park. The shark, about four feet long, was rescued from the sand after approximately 20 minutes as the waves washed it back into the ocean.
Cabal, a Pacific City native, had never witnessed a shark on the beach before. Shark sightings, especially this time of year, can occur as young sharks may wash ashore due to health issues. Taylor Chapple, an associate professor at Oregon State University and head of the Big Fish Lab, explained that young salmon sharks can struggle if they find themselves in cold water. They may suffer from conditions like cold shock, which can lead to meningitis and eventually be fatal.
Chapple indicated that by the time a salmon shark reaches the shore, it’s often too weak to recover. “It’s best to let nature take its course,” he remarked. If anyone finds a stranded shark, it’s recommended to contact Chapple’s lab for proper monitoring and study. The lab usually gets around 15 to 20 reports of stranded sharks each year, predominantly during the summer months.
Salmon sharks, often confused with great whites, are common in the Pacific waters off Oregon. According to Lynn Mattes from the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Department, many of these stranded sharks have health issues. She advises against approaching them or allowing pets to interact with washed-up sharks. Instead, officials encourage reporting the discovery so researchers can gather valuable data.
It’s not often that people come across a shark on the beach. If you encounter one, take care and let the experts handle it.
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