Team uses know-how, lures shark near ocean

WOODS HOLE -- A half-dozen seasoned fishermen from Cape Cod and several state officials standing on a sun-soaked marina in Woods Hole happily announced yesterday that they had coaxed a great white shark to within 100 feet of the open ocean off Naushon Island.

Using a combination of time-tested New England fishing techniques and modern ''behavior modification" methods suggestive of an aquatic psychology experiment, the team ushered the 14-foot, 1,700-pound shark past a sand bar and lagoon, without ever touching the beast.

Late yesterday afternoon the shark was in a small bay just 100 feet from the open ocean, separated by a shoal of eelgrass that officials hope the shark will cruise past when the tide deepens the waters. Greg Skomal, a state marine biologist, called the progress so far ''a phenomenal feat."

''I think we're probably the only people in the world who have ever accomplished this -- moving a 1,700-pound wild animal to a place where she didn't want to go, and now she's probably happy to be there," Skomal told reporters on the edge of a dock, where he was joined by a crew in cardigans, sandals, and salt-crusted baseball caps.

''She reacted just the way we thought she would," Skomal said. ''We let her do it herself and that's a phenomenal feat."

Mark Simonitsch, 64, a Chatham fisherman, said the team set up a series of weirs, a type of fishing net that he has used for 40 years to catch squid, scup, and other fish off the coast of Cape Cod. Surprisingly few modifications had to be made in the rescue of a giant shark, Simonitsch said.

''We are always dealing with live fish, and because we have 150 years of experience out here I can tell you we have encountered all the great creatures in the ocean," he said. ''I don't think you could name one we haven't dealt with and released."

Before heading out with the crew again in a small power boat, David M. Peters, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game, said the team cannot do much more on its own, other than rely on shark instinct to take over.

''Now, we are asking the shark to cooperate with us," he said.

If the animal goes free, it would end an ocean spectacle that has dazzled journalists, filmmakers, boaters, and tourists hungry for a glimpse of the telltale dorsal fin. Officials have expressed concern that the shark, a female, could be injured, or inflict injury if it is provoked by a boater.

''It is a wild creature," said Peters, who reiterated his call to stay away from the shark. ''It is very, very capable of acting on its own. It has a mind of its own."

At the same time, officials announced that the public can send e-mails or report the shark's whereabouts on a new online database. Shark sightings can be reported via www.mass.gov/dfwele/dmf/index.html, and the information will be used to help the rescue mission, officials said.

Although the dorsal fin is slightly misshapen, Skomal said he believes the shark is healthy because it is behaving as it had a week ago. The shark has ignored ground fish that was set as bait and has not been seen eating, but officials said sharks can live 30 or 40 days without food. Still, any assessment of a shark's health requires some guesswork, Skomal said.

''I wish there were a book called 'The Health of Great White Sharks' out there that I could just page through and say, 'Hey, everything's fine,' " Skomal said. ''Unfortunately, that's not the case. I'm probably the only person in the world who has had a chance to observe a large female great white shark consistently over the course of one week."