Watch: First time ‘elusive’ great white shark filmed in Rhode Island waters
White sharks, which are also commonly referred to as great white sharks, live near the shore, according to NOAA. It is one of the most widely protected sharks in the world.
First time ‘elusive’ white shark filmed in Rhode Island waters
Scientists announced on Tuesday that they filmed for the first time ever a white shark swimming off the coast of Rhode Island.
BROCK ISLAND, R.I. – Scientists announced Tuesday that they filmed for the first time ever a white shark swimming off the coast of Rhode Island.
Underwater footage showed the animal swimming in light teal waters near Block Island. According to officials with the Atlantic Shark Institute (ASI), the shark was likely a juvenile shark and one that had never been seen before.
Officials noted the shark sighting was a "needle in the haystack."
White shark swims near the BRUVs.
(Atlantic Shark Institute / FOX Weather)
"These small white sharks can be so elusive we didn't know if it would ever happen," said Jon Dodd, executive director of the ASI.
The animal was filmed using ASI’s Baited Remote Underwater Video Systems, or BRUVs, officials said. BRUVs are custom-built systems that involve waterproof cameras set inside protective housing and are installed on the sea floor.
Deployed at depths of up to 1,000 meters (3,281 feet), the BRUVs use – as their name suggests – bait to attract the animals researchers wish to study.
In the years scientists have been using BRUVs, this recently shot footage is the first time they have ever captured images of a white shark using BRUVs.
FILE: An adult white shark
( Prisma Bildagentur/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)
"This is another excellent data point for our white shark research here in Southern New England, and we hope it’s not the last," Dodd said.
White sharks, which are also commonly referred to as great white sharks, live near the shore, according to NOAA. It is one of the most widely protected sharks in the world, due to its natural vulnerabilities, such as low reproduction rates and sensitivity to human impacts.