University of Hawaii researchers and state officials confirmed today that a tiger shark fatally attacked a surfer in the Gulf of Honolua earlier this month.
A pair of shark researchers at the UH Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology used a new DNA bar coding technology to determine the type of shark – and say it was undoubtedly a tiger shark. Measuring the bite marks on the late surfer’s board determined that he was about 14.3 meters long.
On Dec. 8, a 56-year-old man later identified as Robin Warren of Napili met the shark as it exited the old ramp in Honolua Bay at about 7:50 a.m., according to the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
He was taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center, where he underwent surgery, but eventually succumbed to his injuries.
Historically, researchers have relied on the observations of the victim or those present, according to renowned shark expert Carl Meyer, but sharks can be difficult to identify.
In Hawaii, about 40 percent of shark incidents, the species is not definitively identified, according to Meyer, compared to 70 percent globally. A scientific approach helps reduce uncertainty.
“Prior to the development of these new techniques, uncertainty about the size and species of sharks responsible for human bites was common,” Meyer said in a press release. “We are absolutely certain that it was a large tiger shark (98th percentile in size) that bit this man.”
State education specialist Adam Wong used a set of swabs developed by researchers to collect DNA samples from the bite impression left on the picture of the surfer’s victim. State officials responding to shark meetings are now equipped with buffer sets for this purpose, and the new technique will be used in the future.
“Once we received the sample from Maui, we used these new techniques to determine the species and size of the shark involved in the recent Honolua incident,” UH Sea Grant Fellow Derek Kraft said in a statement. “These new techniques can be applied in future incidents to help us better understand these events … which fortunately are quite rare.”
Buffer kits can recover shark DNA from any object that comes in direct contact with the shark, including surfboards, swimsuits and fish. Buffer samples are ideally taken within a few hours of an incident. In this case, they were taken after two and a half days.
Officials and investigators have expressed their condolences to Warren’s family and friends for the tragic incident and hope the new technology can lead to a better understanding.
“There are a lot of things we don’t understand about shark bite incidents,” Meyer said, “and so we’re trying to get as much factual information as possible to make sure we can inform ocean users in the first place.” as far as possible with regard to the risks of their activities. And, we hope, in the future, to find ways to reduce the risk. “