An oddball report, which may have mundane explanations but I thought I'd post it anyway. Looking at a map, Tennessee seems a long way from salt water. Note also the comment about the lack of hooks marks on the sharks.
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- State wildlife biologists aren't sure how three sharks and an octopus turned up recently in Tennessee waters.
The sharks, identified as black nose or fine tooth species, were found dead in the Tennessee River in the Decatur County area over a span of nine days in mid-March. Neither species typically attacks humans.
The octopus was found dead last week in Watts Bar Lake near Chattanooga.
Bobby Wilson, assistant chief of fisheries for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, told The Tennessean newspaper it was probably a hoax.
"My main theory is it's probably a hoax," Wilson told the Tennessean newspaper of Nashville. "Someone may have caught the sharks and thrown them in the river, although we couldn't find any hook marks."
Another possibility is that a pregnant female shark was caught in the ocean and, after it was cleaned, was discarded into the river where the young sharks survived for a short while.
It is illegal to place any fish in public waters in Tennessee. The penalty is $50 plus court costs and up to 30 days in jail.
_http://www.ajc.com/news/3-sharks-octopus-found-439243.html
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- State wildlife biologists aren't sure how three sharks and an octopus turned up recently in Tennessee waters.
The sharks, identified as black nose or fine tooth species, were found dead in the Tennessee River in the Decatur County area over a span of nine days in mid-March. Neither species typically attacks humans.
The octopus was found dead last week in Watts Bar Lake near Chattanooga.
Bobby Wilson, assistant chief of fisheries for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, told The Tennessean newspaper it was probably a hoax.
"My main theory is it's probably a hoax," Wilson told the Tennessean newspaper of Nashville. "Someone may have caught the sharks and thrown them in the river, although we couldn't find any hook marks."
Another possibility is that a pregnant female shark was caught in the ocean and, after it was cleaned, was discarded into the river where the young sharks survived for a short while.
It is illegal to place any fish in public waters in Tennessee. The penalty is $50 plus court costs and up to 30 days in jail.
_http://www.ajc.com/news/3-sharks-octopus-found-439243.html