BATHERS URGED TO REMAIN VIGILANT AROUND TARRAGONA BEACHES

News

Contributor / 2009-07-27 21:40:10

A blue shark similar to the one thought to be swimming off the Tarragona shoreline

Bathers have been urged to remain vigilant around Tarragona beaches following reports that a n 11-year-old schoolgirl was bitten by a blue shark yesterday.

The young holidaymaker was rushed to hospital after being bitten in the foot and was sent home just a few hours later with stitches for the two inch cut.

Local marine police were patrolling the coast just off Tarragona yesterday in a search for the fish. A number of beaches have been closed to bathers as a result.

The unnamed girl was bitten just after 10 am on Saturday morning at Sant Salvador de El Vendrell beach.

Blue sharks are one of the 20 or so species of shark which are considered dangerous to man. They are present off the coast of Tarragona but rarely approach the shoreline and cause problems for bathers.

Tags: Sharks

Comments

David Plummer 29-06-2011 / 01:49

Dogs are dangerous to man -- unless they're tamed and/or on a leash. Sharks can't be tamed or put on a leash. 99% of dogs you encounter are tamed, 100% of all sharks are not. You also only encounter sharks in an environment where you are most vulnerable -- you usually can't even see them til it's too late. They also have larger mouths than dogs (in most cases much larger) and sharper teeth. All of this makes sharks a good deal more dangerous than dogs.

That doesn't mean everybody go crazy and start hunting down sharks like the motley crowd in "Jaws", but the shark = dog comparison is a bit silly.

Nikki Lawson 20-05-2011 / 15:57

It's articles like this that spread ignorance. Sharks are not dangerous to man. People get attacked by dogs every year, do we label Dog as DANGEROUS TO MAN? No, we keep them as pets.... Sharks are rapidly being wiped out of existence(blue sharks are often targeted), and we need to stop this nonsense and protect them before it's too late!

TheDorsalFin.com 27-07-2009 / 15:13

This supposed "shark attack" has since been proven to be the result of a bluefish bite. Reports are now indicating, "maritime experts later concluded that the bite suffered by the girl was too small to have been caused by a shark and was compatible instead with the marks that would be left by a bluefish."