N.S. marine biologist says shark seen feasting on seal carcass off N.S. coast appears to be young great white

INGONISH, N.S. -

A marine biologist at Halifax's Dalhousie University says he believes a shark that was seen feasting on a seal carcass off the coast of Cape Breton during a recent whale tour was a young great white.

Fred Whoriskey, a marine biologist and the executive director of the Ocean Tracking Network, says video shot by whale watchers that shows the sharks body shape, fin and size helped confirm the species.

Whoriskey says there isn't scientific consensus on whether the great white population is increasing in the northwest Atlantic, but he says there are tentative signs of more animals coming into the region, such as the increased sightings of young sharks by scientists and the public.

"Sharks are coming in doing what they do primarily because they need something to eat," said Whoriskey in an interview with CTV News on Thursday. "So, we have a seasonal production cycle here. We kind of turn off the tap on producing food that would interest the shark during the winter time and then it turns back on in the spring and continues into the summer and into the autumn."

Whoriskey says great white sharks are listed as endangered in both Canada and the United States -- meaning fishing of the animals is prohibited -- which has likely helped the population of the species recover in recent decades.

Fayln Chiasson, who was taking part in the whale tour and captured the sighting on camera, agrees the shark appeared to be a great white.

“I didn't expect to see much and I’m not even sad I didn't see a whale. This was good enough for me,” says Fayln Chiasson, who caught the shark feasting on a seal carcass just off the coast of Ingonish, N.S.

The sighting comes just weeks after a 21-year-old woman suffered serious injuries after being attacked by what is believed to be a shark in waters off Margaree Island.

“I mean the jaws theme kind of played in the back of my mind. It was definitely scary just because that did happen and this was only a couple miles off of Ingonish Beach,” says Chiasson.

Kinnon Mackinnon operates the Keltic Zodiac Adventures and was at the helm of the boat during the sighting.

“It was kind of a once in a lifetime. I've been on the water for the best part of 20 years and that was my first encounter with a shark,” says Mackinnon.

With files from The Canadian Press.