Blue shark washes up on beach in Canada

A young blue shark washed up on a beach in Nova Scotia, Canada, on Sunday.

Passerby Jeremy Allard spotted the carcass on Melmerby Beach and posted pictures on Facebook.

Dr. Steven E. Campana of the Bedford Institute of Oceanography confirmed it was a blue shark and told Metro News: "Blue sharks are the most common large shark in Canadian waters, but are less frequently seen in the Gulf of St Lawrence, particularly at this time of year."

However, the carcass was nowhere to be seen on Monday. Matthew Reid, a forestry technician with the Department of Natural Resources, told ngnews.ca: "We certainly didn't hear anything about it. If it's within the park boundaries, it's our responsibility to clean it up."

Allard said the shark was about five feet long, and added he thought it may have come close to the shore to give birth, and then become stranded in low tide.

Dr Campana couldn't say for certain why the animal died, but offered a different theory, saying: "The blood near the mouth suggests that it was hooked by a fisherman and may have died after it was released."

He added the animals are not a threat to humans: "Blue sharks are seldom found in waters less than 30 metres deep, so are seldom encountered by swimmers.

"Even if they are though, they are not a safety concern for Canadian swimmers – there has never been a shark attack on a swimmer in Canadian waters."

Melmerby Beach Provincial Park is located in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.

It sits on the province's North Shore fronting the Northumberland Strait approximately 10 km (6.2 miles) northeast of New Glasgow. The sand barrier beach is approximately 2km in length and connects Kings Head with Roy Island.

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