(Plain Press July 2024) Is this a joke? How can this be? However, there have been recent reports of shark fins being seen breaking the surface of the waters in the Great Lakes. There have also been reports of dead sharks washed up on the shores of Michigan and Lake Erie. In addition, a biologist from Penn State University verified that a photograph of a shark in Lake Erie, circulating on Facebook, was authentic. Even though scientists say this is unlikely, it’s not impossible for sharks to get into the Great Lakes. One species of man-eating shark, the “bull-shark”, can adapt to freshwater. Over the years, this shark has been found inland, miles up rivers. In 1937, a 5 foot, 85-pound bull-shark was caught in the Mississippi River in Alton, Illinois. If it had traveled any further, it could have entered Lake Michigan.

     Experts say there are different possibilities for how sharks could enter the American Lakes. One is through a ship’s ballast. After a ship unloads its cargo, it allows water to enter the bottom portion of the ship for balance before returning to the Great Lakes. This allows ocean life, including sharks, to get into the ship’s ballast. After arriving at lake ports to load more cargo, the ship will release the ballast water into the lakes, along with any hitchhiking cargo.

     In addition, Global Warming is causing sharks to move farther northward in the Atlantic Ocean, towards Long Island, New York. Because of this, sharks have been coming close to shore, which is increasing attacks on humans. Several Great Whites have even been seen off the New York shorelines.

     To find out more about this possibility, make sure to watch “Sharks in the Great Lakes”, every Monday in July at 9PM on Spectrum Channel 1025. For more information: you can send an email to Kevin@shockerEnterprises.com or call: (440) 888-8327.